[foxdart]

While riding yesterday I came upon a situation where a child had fallen into the river and the mother jumped in to try and save him but could not swim herself. The child was saved by a bystander. There was a guy in the water trying frantically to locate the mother and miraculously he came up with her. They were on the opposite side of the shore and I ran to get across and helped pull her out of thw water and up onto the steep embankment where I immediately started CPR. It did not look good from the moment I first saw her but I gave everything I had until the paramedics arrived and took over. They rushed her to the hospital where they pronounced her dead. It was a very sad situation.

 

[SixtyPlus]

Oh my! What a tragic story. You should be awarded for your efforts to save the woman as a lot of folks would probably have just stood and watched and made no attempt to help. You did the best you could do. I just hope this will not linger with you.

God bless

 

[photosbymark]

Having been in a couple of those type of situations myself over the years, let me give you a piece of advise. I know free advise is worth what you paid for it, but I offer it anyway.

First life is full of risks and things we do not understand. Do not play the what if game. You did the very best you could, and from the sound of it so did everyone else. They are ordinary people that did all they could. Even if there were something that could have been done differently with the vision of hindsight, you and everyone there had split seconds to react.

Be thankful this wasn't worse. It could have just as easily been two lost as two saved. If you could have asked the mother, if one of the two of them had to go right now you or your child, who do you think she would choose? Fact is you don't have to ask. She proved it with her actions and the child will grow up knowing she loved him more than life. Remember the love not the loss.

When kids suffer losses young in life, they will face special challenges. Yet with those special challenges come special opportunities, and those opportunities create special gifts for everyone around them.

You will not forget what you saw today. Don't even bother to try, and I am not sure it would be a good idea if you could. What you will do is find a way to live with the experience. Even the saddest days can turn into something positive if those that lived them look for a way to make it so.

 

[biker_on_a_budget]

Awesome job for trying. +1 for knowing CPR. I'm sure you did the best you could do. I'll pray for the family and hope you don't worry about it.

 

[froze]

Having been in a couple of those type of situations myself over the years, let me give you a piece of advise. I know free advise is worth what you paid for it, but I offer it anyway.

First life is full of risks and things we do not understand. Do not play the what if game. You did the very best you could, and from the sound of it so did everyone else. They are ordinary people that did all they could. Even if there were something that could have been done differently with the vision of hindsight, you and everyone there had split seconds to react.

Be thankful this wasn't worse. It could have just as easily been two lost as two saved. If you could have asked the mother, if one of the two of them had to go right now you or your child, who do you think she would choose? Fact is you don't have to ask. She proved it with her actions and the child will grow up knowing she loved him more than life. Remember the love not the loss.

When kids suffer losses young in life, they will face special challenges. Yet with those special challenges come special opportunities, and those opportunities create special gifts for everyone around them.

You will not forget what you saw today. Don't even bother to try, and I am not sure it would be a good idea if you could. What you will do is find a way to live with the experience. Even the saddest days can turn into something positive if those that lived them look for a way to make it so.

This is by far the best advice and best post I have ever read on any forum on the internet including this one!!

Foxdart, read that post again and again because it's 100% truth. There's nothing I can add to that post that wasn't already said, but take heart man you did good, real good, and I for one am proud that your a member of this forum.