After opening their Christmas presents, kids like to take them to their friends so they could play.
Most of the children would compare their toys and other gifts before having their holiday dinner. However, the cold temperature of the weather made Christmas day challenging to some people.
Jason, an 8-year-old boy in New Harmony, Utah, was playing and running around with his dog that particular afternoon.
Around 5 p.m., another kid saw him fall through the ice and shouted immediately for help. Jason was trapped in freezing water of the lake.
Sgt. Aaron Thompson of the Washington County Sheriffs Department was first to arrive on the scene. He knew there was no time to wait, so he did not hesitate to search right away and go after the boy.
A woman informed him that Jason was last seen 25 feet from the shoreline. He focused his search on the given report. Without any equipment, Sgt. Thompson began punching the ice with his hands.
He pounded the ice rapidly to break it apart. Thompson also went out a few feet away and punched the surface to find Jason. He dove under many times until he saw him. Then, he quickly jumped under and grabbed the 8-year-old boy. He pulled him to the surface and carried him back to the shore.
By the time they reached the shore, rescue teams had arrived and assisted both Jason and St. Thompson. “I knew what I was getting into,” Thompson shared. From his experience, he knew how long a child could likely survive the freezing temperature. For Jason to live, he needed to act fast.
“I couldn’t feel anything. I didn’t notice anything when I was doing it,” he expressed. He also mentioned that time was of the essence and he had a very short window to get that child out of the water.
“As the ice got thicker, I couldn’t break it with my arms and my fists anymore, so I had to jump up on top of the ice, putting my weight on it, and then pound on it to get it to break.”
Jason was brought to Dixie Regional Medical Center. He was then transported to Primary Children’s Hospital. His family was so thankful, and they reported that their son was awake and responsive. His father mentioned that this Christmas miracle shows that God hears and answers prayers.
Although Sgt. Thompson went beyond his duty, he doesn’t consider himself a hero. “Everybody huddled around to make sure that child had the best chance,” he said. “If there was a hero that night it was us, not me.”
Nevertheless, Thompson is indeed a hero, and will forever remain in the hearts of the people he helped. Diving under freezing water without equipment and protection is not included in his job description, but his character pushed him to decide quickly to save a life.
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