9-Year-Old Florida Boy Rescued Dad Who Injured Himself After a Dive

9 year old Florida boy dad father family

By Fatima Virrey , Parent Herald Aug 06, 09:49 am

A supposed relaxing day turned to a crucial one for the Williams family in Florida. The family was having a good time at Quietwater Beach when the father, Josh Williams, met an accident. He broke his neck after diving into the water. Nine-year-old boy, Asaih Williams, was quick on his feet to respond to the situation and rescued his father.

The quick rescue of the 9-year-old Florida boy

The sun had already set last Saturday when Asaih convinced his father for one final dip before ending their outing.

The dad of the nine-year-old boy agreed to swim. Audrey, Asaih's mom, was attending to the young Florida boy's siblings during that time. She was approximately 50 feet away from them, but she could see the dad and son from afar. In an interview with the Pensacola News Journal, she said, "They were kind of playing around where the ferry docks in, so it's about 15 feet deep right there."

The dad and son moved to a portion of the beach where it was shallower. That was something that Josh did not expect.

Asaih was the first to jump into the water. He was followed by his dad, who dove with his head first.

After a few seconds, the nine-year-old Florida boy noticed that his father was not coming up. So he decided to flip his dad over. However, Josh was still not moving.

Asaih recalled, "All I remember was that he said he broke his neck and he said he was scared."

It was the nine-year-old boy's instinct to keep his father afloat and not to let him drown. Despite his dad's weight, he still managed to tug his father to the shore slowly. Luckily, some bystanders helped Asaih bring his father to the land, and another person called for an ambulance.

The dad's condition

Josh was brought to the Baptist Hospital that night. He was transferred to another hospital for a C1-C3 fusion surgery on Monday.

According to Audrey, Josh's condition was not very serious, although he still needs to recover. The doctors also shared with the family that Josh is recovering fast. Last Tuesday, Josh was already able to lift his head and sit up on a chair.

Josh is working on gaining the feeling in his arms and legs. The family shares that his left side was affected worse than the dad's right.

Audrey shared that he is very grateful that his 9-year-old boy was with his father during the incident. She said, "He's daddy's hero, that's for sure."

The 9-year-old Florida boy also had some pain in his right leg. His mom says it's a little inflammation that is expected to be better soon.