VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A family vacation turned into a nightmare and then a miracle on Volusia County’s Silver Beach this week, thanks to the quick actions of two young lifeguards.
A five-year-old boy from Atlanta was pulled from the ocean unconscious and not breathing just after 1 p.m. yesterday. Despite calm water conditions, the child had gone under and was found motionless with a head injury by his family.
Because the family was swimming directly in front of a staffed lifeguard tower, help arrived in seconds.
Dempsey Manhart, a 16-year-old lifeguard in only his sixth week on the job, heard the screams for help and sprinted into the water. He carried the boy to shore, where his partner, 19-year-old Mackenzie Malone, was waiting.
Malone checked for a pulse and found none. The pair immediately began CPR.
“To be quite honest, you know, it was just kind of like... it’s our job and like you know, get right going through, and like you know, this is what we trained for,” Manhart said.
After just two rounds of compressions, the boy coughed up water and began to cry.
“It was the best feeling in the world,” Malone said. “The moment he started crying, it was amazing.”
Volusia County Beach Safety Deputy Chief A.J. Miller confirmed the child was transported to Halifax Health and later transferred to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. He is currently stable and being held for observation.
Miller called the rescue “literally life-saving” and praised the teamwork of the two guards. He noted that while rip currents were not a factor during the incident, the proximity to the lifeguard tower made all the difference.
“This really shows you, especially if you bring kids down to the beach, why you need to watch them and why you need to swim in front of that staff lifeguard tower,” Miller said.
Beach officials urge all visitors to download the Volusia Beaches app to see which towers are staffed daily and to always swim within sight of a lifeguard.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.