Hero boy, 10, saves 'medically dead' child at bottom of holiday hotel pool
A heroic 10-year-old boy pulled a lifeless child from the bottom of a pool while on holiday in Turkey.
Lewis Smith was having a swim at the hotel where his family were staying in Belek, near Antalya, when he noticed what he thought was rubbish at the bottom of the pool.
He dragged the boy, four, out with the help of others before firefighter dad Craig administered CPR, though the patient was "medically dead" without a pulse.
But after getting the water out of his lungs he was revived and rushed to hospital.
The incident happened on June 5 and the Smith family have since returned home to Hedon, East Yorkshire.
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They have been kept up to date with the boy's recovery.
The Smith family during their holiday in Turkey. Picture (left-right) Ellie, Abel, Lewis, Arthur and CraigCraig told HullLive: “We were by the pool and it was a normal day. I had gone back to my room briefly which was close by.
“My wife Ellie was with our three boys at the pool when Lewis shouted he had found something at the bottom. He thought it was a piece of rubbish or something initially but as he dived under he realised it was a child.
“Lewis managed to pull the child up while Ellie and others pulled the young boy out. As a firefighter, I am trained in CPR so they shouted for me and I ran out.
“The boy was medically dead at this point. He had no pulse and wasn’t breathing. But after giving the boy CPR we managed to get the water out of his lungs and then he was coughing and breathing.”
Craig gave the boy CPR after Lewis had pulled him from the waterThe boy was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was placed into an induced come for two days. But Craig says the boy now appears to be recovering well.
He said: “We are in touch with the family who I think are from South Yorkshire. The grandma, who is from Sheffield, sent us a video of the boy having breakfast and he seems to be doing fine. He is still in hospital under observation.”
Craig says he could not be more proud of Lewis and his quick actions in saving the boy’s life.
“I am ecstatic by what Lewis did,” he said. “How a 10-year-old managed to pull out a child like that is unreal. I could not be more proud of him.
Craig Smith is pictured with his son Abel“Lewis was in shock to start with but I think it is dawning on him now what he did. People at the hotel even had a collection for him to thank him. Lewis was a hero that day.”
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Craig has questioned the safety protocols at the hotel but he is not sure whether a full investigation is underway.
He said: “There was no lifeguard at the pool and there didn’t seem to be any staff nearby trained in CPR but I don’t know if there are any on site.
“It was lucky I was trained in CPR otherwise I’m not sure whether the boy would be here now. But the manager did thank us for what we did but I’m not sure what the other family will do now.”
It was back to reality for Lewis on Wednesday as he returned to school and Craig hopes the experience can have an even greater benefit.
“We have told Lewis’s teacher what happened,“ he said. “Water safety is very important and does get taught at school so maybe Lewis’s experience can raise further awareness about the dangers and what people can do if they see someone in trouble.”
It was thought the British Embassy had been informed of the incident.
However, a spokesman for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it had not been approached but will be ready to provide assistance if needed.
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