FARMINGTON POND – Two young girls who pulled a drowning boy from Farmington Pond are talking about how their quick thinking saved him. They also say it taught them a valuable lesson about being vigilant on the water.
Melissa Harper, 12, and Kate Peterson, 13, were swimming and paddle boarding when they saw a little boy walk into the water without a life jacket. There are steep drop-offs under the surface and Harper doesn’t believe the boy knew they were there. She says, “He was walking into the water nonchalantly. So, he probably didn’t think it would get so deep so fast”
Peterson says, all of the sudden, she heard a commotion. The boy’s arm was sticking up from the water. “I look behind me and there’s a little boy in the water who’s struggling to get out,” Peterson says.
The two used an oar to pull the boy up, sat him on a paddle board then checked to see if he was fine. It took a few minutes for the boy to calm his nerves. They brought the boy back to shore where his mother thanked them several times before they left.
The two say the experience taught them two lessons. One, they learned to always wear a life vest when in the water, even if they think the water is shallow. Two, they say everyone on the water needs to keep an eye out for what’s happening around them. Harper says, “There were a lot of people around, but, they weren’t paying attention, at all. They were just doing their own things.” Peterson adds, “Make sure you know what to do if an emergency happens.”
