By Corrections1 Staff
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — A Pennsylvania corrections officer is being credited for helping rescue a boy who was stuck underwater for almost eight minutes in a resort pool.
On March 19, the 12-year-old boy was swimming in a “lazy river” at the Avista Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina when his foot got caught in the pool’s intake tube, the Detroit Free Press reports. Surveillance footage shows his companion trying to free him before bystanders attempt to help.
After a woman was unable to free the boy, a man identified as CO Shaun Skursky came to the boy’s aide. The officer alternated between trying to free the child and administering underwater CPR.
“When I got there, he wasn’t moving,” Skursky told Myrtle Beach Online. “I was assuming he was maybe dead.”
Skursky, who was in the city visiting his aunt, said his girlfriend ran to see if the pool filter line could be turned off before calling 911. A New York State CO also helped rescue the boy.
The child had been underwater for about 7 minutes and 22 seconds when Skursky arrived. Authorities later dove in and freed the boy before administering CPR, according to Today.
The boy was taken to a hospital and was last reported to be OK, according to WSOC-TV.
Skursky and the other CO received life-saving awards by the North Myrtle Beach DPS for their efforts. Other local first responders were also recognized.