Hero boy saves twin from drowning

Very few 11-year-olds can say that they have saved a person’s life. Without the bravery and presence of mind of young Luke Bridle, his twin brother David may not have survived a recent near-drowning experience.

Brindle was recently awarded a special Netcare 911 bravery certificate. According to the boys’ mother, Shandré, the twins were at home with their childminder, Martha Moyo, one afternoon in early September. Moyo was giving David a bath.

“Our son David is disabled and is also an epileptic. He and Luke have an extremely special bond and from a young age, Luke has learned how he can help David when needed. My husband Brian was travelling at the time and I was driving home when I received a phone call that nearly made my heart stop,” she recalled.

Moyo had stepped out of the bathroom to fetch a towel when David suddenly had an epileptic seizure in the bathtub.

“His face went under the water and his body went rigid during the seizure. He fell forward and was drowning in the bath,” said Shandré.

Luke immediately jumped into the bath to try to get David’s head out of the water.

The boys’ father Brian said that Luke pulled the bath plug so that the water could drain out of the bath. However, there was still concern that David could have breathed in some water during the seizure.

Together with Moyo they managed to get him out of the bath and laid him over Moyo’sknee so that the water could drain from his mouth.

Luke pressed a panic button to alert the security company, then phoned Shandré, who has first-aid training, and over the phone, she talked him through all the steps to check whether his twin was breathing and to place him in the recovery position until Netcare 911 arrived.

“It is very rare to come across a child with the ability to act quickly and sensibly under such stressful and frightening circumstances,” says Craig Grindell, managing director of Netcare 911. “We were so impressed at how Luke helped to save his twin brother’s life that we decided to award him a special Netcare 911 bravery certificate.”

Advanced life support paramedic, Adrian King said when they got there, Luke had placed his brother in the proper recovery position and kept checking that he was breathing.

He added that he was impressed by the way Luke responded to the situation. “He did everything that should have been done, it was truly remarkable for a child of his age.”

Fortunately, David made a full recovery after he was admitted to Netcare Olivedale Hospital.

ALSO READ: Safety tips around water activities