There have been many examples of people showing their inherent humanity. In a recent instance, a Mississippi teenager was hailed as a hero after a daring rescue. The teenager went on to save the lives of three girls and a police officer from drowning. The situation occurred near Pascagoula, Mississippi when a car plunged straight into a river.
The 16-year-old teen, Corion Evans, later informed WLOX that he had witnessed the car with the teenage girls crash into a river. “They drove straight under the water. Like, only a little bit of the car was still above the water.” Seeing a tragedy about to unfold, the teen and his friend dived into the river to save them. “I was just like, ‘I can’t let none of these folks die. They need to get out of the water.”[1]
Amidst all these activities, the hero also had to save the life of a police officer. Gary Mercer had swam out to save the girls when he himself started drowning. Evans stated, “I see the police officer. He’s drowning. He’s going underwater, drowning, saying ‘Help!’ So, I went over there. I went and I grabbed the police officer and I’m like swimming him back until I feel I can walk.”
Brandon Ashley, the local police chief, has commended the teen for his actions. “The police department and I commend Mr. Evans’s bravery and selflessness he displayed by risking his own safety to help people in danger. If Mr. Evans had not assisted, it could have possibly turned out tragically instead of all occupants rescued safely.”
Read: The Boy Miraculously Rescues His Father From Being Crushed By A Car And Says Angels Helped Him
Teenage Hero Saves Teenage Girls And A Police Officer From Drowning
The city officials of Moss Point further presented this teen hero with a certificate of commendation. They also recognized the police officer, Gary Mercer, for his bravery under duress. Naturally, the mother of this teen was quite proud of what her son did for the girls and the police. “I’m glad nothing happened to him while he was trying to save other people’s lives. I was really proud of Corion because he wasn’t just thinking about himself. He was trying to really get all those people out of the water.”
The accident took place on Sunday, July 3rd at 2.30 am. The car carrying the teenage girls drove into the Pascagoula River in Moss Point. While the vehicle managed to float about 20 feet away from the shore, it then started sinking. The police stated, “The driver of that vehicle stated she was following her GPS and did not realize she was going into the water.” This is when the teen jumped into the river, not caring about his own life. He quickly took his shoes and shirt off and started rescuing the teenage girls. “I was behind them trying to keep them above water and swim with them at the same time.”
Luckily Corion Evans, the boy hero, was a strong swimmer otherwise could have been completely different. Evans informed WLOX that he had been swimming since he was 3 years old. He trusted his instincts and jumped into the river. “Twenty-five yards out, so it was a lot of swimming. My legs were so tired after. Anything could’ve been in that water, though. But I wasn’t thinking about it.”
Keep Reading: A good Samaritan jumped into water and saved a toddler who fell out of a car, authorities say
Sources
- “Pascagoula teen saves 3 girls, officer after vehicle sinks in river” WLOX. July 4, 2022.
- “Mississippi teen hailed as hero after helping rescue 3 girls, officer from river.” ABC News. Meredith Deliso. July 6, 2022.
- “US ‘hero’ teen saves three girls and police officer after car plunges into river.” The Guardian. The Guardian Staff. July 6, 2022.
