A young boy, aged seven, is being praised for his heroic actions after swimming for an hour to seek assistance for his family who were stranded in a river.
According to astonishing accounts, Chase Poust, along with his father, Steven, and four-year-old sister, Abigail, were out at the start of Memorial Day weekend on Friday, May 28th.
They all went on a boat to the St. Johns River by Mandarin Point in Jacksonville, Florida, and stopped there. Steven was going to fish while his kids swam close by.
The current was stronger than Steven thought, and soon seven-year-old Chase saw that Abigail, who had on a life jacket, was drifting away from the boat.
Chase revealed in an exclusive interview with news channel WJXT that the current was powerful enough to pull his sister, who usually stays at the back of the boat, away. He let go of the boat to rescue her, but then found himself unable to move.
Chase was without a life jacket, yet he released the boat to aid his sister. Steven also leaped into the water to try to catch his daughter, but she kept drifting away.
Steven told News4Jax that he expressed his love because he was uncertain about the future. He attempted to support both of them, but it exhausted him. She eventually distanced herself from him.
Despite being scared, Chase managed to reach the shore by switching between doggie paddle and floating on his back to prevent himself from getting too tired to stay afloat.
In total, the young boy fought the current for an hour before reaching the safety of dry land. Once there, he sprinted to seek assistance.
Steven said, “I yelled really loud and waved my arms, and finally someone heard us. The little guy also made it to shore and got help, and that’s how we survived.”
Steven and Abigail got saved an hour later thanks to the Sheriff’s Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They had floated a mile from their boat.
Eric Prosswimmer, who is a spokesperson for the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, mentioned during a press conference that they had all the help they needed and were glad to report that all three people were found safe and sound. He also added that they couldn’t have hoped for a better result.
That was a really close one! I’m so glad little Chase knew how to swim and got the help he needed just in time.
Hey parents, be super careful when you’re at the water with your kids. Stuff can change really quickly, like we saw happen.
Don’t forget to post this article on Facebook to alert everyone about the risks and to give props to Chase for what he did!
