Teen Saves Young Child's Life - Townley Jordan

Summary: If not for a teenager’s selfless actions, one child might not be here today. Kristen's Hemlock's 5-year-old son Mason was hiking with his babysitter and two friends in Cope Park, Alaska when Mason slipped and he fell 15 feet off a cliff into the fast-moving water below. Riley, a fourteen-year-old, witnessed the incident. He jumped into the freezing water to grab Mason, and when they reached a pool of still water he handed the child off to his friend Seth Gerrin. Seth then ran Mason to the paramedics. Mason’s mother said that he did not know how to swim and that Riley definitely saved Mason’s life.

Analysis: I think it is amazing that this boy acted so selflessly in a fight or flight reaction to the situation at hand. Many people would not react so quickly without thinking first about themselves. I also think that many adults have a presumption of teenagers as being extremely self-centered and this is an example that disproves that stereotype. Many adults can probably not even confidently believe that they would have reacted that way so quickly had they been in the situation.

Link: https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/04/02/14-year-old-saves-life-of-5-year-old-boy-who-fell-off-15-foot-cl/22022945/