When his family was stuck in a river, the seven-year-old child swam for an hour to reach aid, and now he is being praised as a hero.
Incredible rumors state that on Friday, May 28, at the start of Memorial Day weekend, Chase Poust was out with his father, Steven, and sister, Abigail, age four.
The three of them had docked a boat at Mandarin Point in Jacksonville, Florida, on the St. Johns River. Steven was going to take his two kids swimming nearby and do a little fishing.
However, Steven was unaware of how strong the current was, and soon after, seven-year-old Chase saw that Abigail, who was wearing a life jacket, had been dragged out of the boat.
“My sister, who usually hangs out at the back of the boat, let go because the current was so strong.” After letting go of the boat and grabbing her, I was stuck, Chase admitted in a special interview with WJXT television channel.
Despite not having a life jacket on, Chase abandoned the boat in an attempt to save his sister. Steven dove into the water as well, hoping to snag his daughter, but she kept floating away.
“I told them I loved him because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” Steven said to News4Jax. I made an effort to remain with them both. I exhausted myself. She started to stray from me.
Even though he was scared, Chase managed to swim to the coast by switching between floating on his back and using a doggy paddle to make sure he didn’t become too tired to keep his head above water.
The tiny child had to swim against the river for an hour in total before reaching dry land. He ran for assistance from there.
“I cried out for help at the top of my lungs and waved my arms, and sure enough, someone heard us,” Steven clarified. Our lives were saved when Little Man also reached the coast and received assistance.
After drifting a mile from their boat, Steven and Abigail were found and saved an hour later with the assistance of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Sheriff’s Office.
Spokesman Eric Prosswimmer with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department stated during a press conference: “We’re happy to say all three have been recovered and are doing well. We had every resource we could have possibly had coming quickly.” Nothing could have gone more well than it did.
What a near miss! Thank heavens, tiny Chase could swim and got the much-needed assistance.
When out on the water with kids, and parents, please always use the utmost caution. This demonstrates how quickly things can and do change.
Post this article on Facebook to alert people to the risks and to thank Chase for his hard work.