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9-year-old saves girl from drowning in pool

She recalled technique taught at YMCA lifesaving class

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A North Fayette Elementary student recently helped save a little girl from drowning at the Four Seasons Mobile Home Park pool.

Jordan Austin, 9, saw the little girl hold her nose before jumping in the deep end of the pool. When the girl didn’t surface, Jordan immediately jumped in to rescue her.

Jordan said she grabbed the girl under her armpits and pulled her toward the surface, just like she was taught in a lifesaving class at the Fayette YMCA several years ago.

One of Jordan’s friends helped get the girl — estimated to be between 2 and 3 years old — safely out of the pool to her mother.

“She coughed up some water and then was like, yippee, I shouldn’t have done that,” Jordan said.

Jordan said she was nervous that she would hurt the girl while rescuing her. She didn’t know the little girl’s name but she remembered having seen them at the pool before.

With her father Michael being a police officer for East Point, it may have been only natural for Jordan to take the action she did.

“He’s always teaching me stuff about safety because he’s a police officer,” Jordan said.

Jordan said she wasn’t afraid for her own safety when she jumped in to help the girl.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Jordan said. “... I was glad she wasn’t really hurt.”

Maybe that’s because navigating the pool comes more natural to her than others.

“I’ve been swimming since I was about 4 or 5, so I’m pretty good at it,” Jordan said.

“Don’t you see her gills?” remarked her father.

If she ultimately has her way, she’ll get to help even more people. She wants to become a doctor.

For now, though, this member of Girl Scout Troop 128 in Fayetteville will have to settle for collecting her porcelain dolls and scrapbooking.