Teenager praised for 5 y.o. boy’s rescue
Published: June 9, 2005
A 15-year-old girl (see photo pop-up) who rescued a boy aged five from drowning in a toxic lake has been hailed a “hero” by his family.
Jake Sanderson had slipped out of his family’s home near Rhyl’s Marine Lake unnoticed and fell into the water.
Teenager Corinna Gee who was on her way home with her brothers dived into the lake “on instinct” and rescued him.
Jake is now back home and the family are awaiting results of hospital tests. The local council said people are warned to stay away from the lake.
The drama happened late last Sunday afternoon as Corinna and her brothers Sonny, nine, and Nathan, seven, and her best friend Amanda were walking home from a football presentation.
Corinna, a year 10 pupil at Rhyl High School, described how she spotted Jake in the water and then heard lots of shouting nearby.
“I saw he was blue, I just jumped in there. There was a lot of foam coming from his mouth and I just managed to pull him out.
Afterwards, when the emergency services arrived to take the youngster to Glan Clwyd Hospital at Bodelwyddan, Jake’s mother hugged and cried as she thanked the teenager for saving him, the youngest of six children.
“She was saying “You’re a little hero, without you, he (Jake) would be in the chapel of rest now.”
“The water was horrible. It has got lots of jelly fish, crabs and litter. It was horrible,” she said.
Jake’s father Stephen Sanderson said it was a miracle that Corinna, who would not normally be passing the lake, was there to save his young son from drowning.
“She saved my little boy’s life. I can’t thank her enough,” said Mr Sanderson, who is unemployed.
“A lot of children would have been scared to go into the water, especially when it was toxic, but she just jumped in.”
Jake is now back home with his family after two nights in hospital but he must return for more tests in six weeks time.
The toxic algae appeared at the marine lake earlier this summer and last month Denbighshire Council issued a warning to the public to stay away.
People are advised not to come into contact with the algae, as in some cases it can cause symptoms such as skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and muscle pain, say the council.
Councillor Eryl Williams, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: “Our officers are working closely with the Environment Agency to monitor and investigate the algae.”
Meanwhile, Deborah Gee, Corinna’s mother, said she would be throwing a party for her daughter.
“I thinks it’s really great that she saved the little boy’s life,” said the hairdressing student.
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