A 7-year-old boy from Florida, USA, is now being hailed as a hero after they swam for over an hour to get help for their family after they got swept away by a strong current.
It was reported that the young boy swam for over an hour to help his family who got stuck in a Florida river.
Chase Poust was swimming with his 4-year-old sister Abigail in St. John’s River on Friday while their father, Steven, was fishing from their boat.
The boat was anchored, said a report by Jax4 TV Station, but a strong current ripped the little girl away.
Chase, the boy, was clinging on the boat but let go in order to grab his sister.
He then got caught in the current.
During an interview with the news station, Chase said:
The current was so strong that my sister — she usually hangs out at the back of the boat — and she let go. So, I let go of the boat and grabbed her, and then, I was stuck. I felt really scared.
The littler sister was wearing a life vest when the incident happened, but he was not.
Steven dove into the water and caught up to them, but Abigail drifted away from him.
Steven told his son to keep swimming until he reaches the shore, which was around 1 mile away.
Steven said:
I told them I loved him because I wasn’t sure what’s going to happen. I tried to stick with both of them. I wore myself out. She drifted away from me.
The boy reached the shore after 1 hour and raced to the nearest home.
He screamed for help.
Locals heard the cries of Chase and helped right away.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, Sheriff’s Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped rescue the family.
Talking about how they managed to survive, Steven said:
I screamed for help at the top of my lungs and waved my arms and sure enough someone heard us. Little man also made it to shore and got help and that’s what saved our lives.
The father and sister were in the water for 2 hours before they were rescued by the authorities.
A report by Jax4 said that the father an daughter had drifted a mile away from their boat.
Luckily, no one was injured in the entire incident.