A fire department spokesperson says a 3-year-old girl and her grandfather were unconscious and not responsive when people at the pool noticed something was wrong. It is possible, she says, that the older man suffered some kind of medical condition when he lost consciousness and then the little girl went under. They were in 6 feet of water when a 9-year-old boy unexpectedly became a hero.
"Information I received was that a 9-year-old child is actually the one that pushed the little girl to the side of the pool so people could pull her out and then a couple of other bystanders pulled out the elderly male," said San Jose Fire Department Capt. Mary Gutierrez.
The grandfather was rescued by a swimming instructor, is in the hospital, and is unconscious. The 3-year-old girl is alert, in the hospital, and appears to be doing fine.
This incident follows a similar one just last week. On Wednesday, in West San Jose, a school teacher pulled a 6-year-old girl and her father from the bottom of a pool. Captain Gutierrez says these back to back incidents serve as reminders that young children should have floatation devices on them when they are in a pool, even with adult supervision.
