Kyle DeLapp saved a boy from drowning, Miramar Beach, Florida, April 1, 2006. While wading in the Gulf of Mexico, a 10-year-old boy was carried seaward into deeper water by a strong current, as were his sister, 13, and two other boys. They struggled and yelled for help. Kyle, 17, was one of a group of out-of-state high school students who were playing on the beach nearby. Although flags posted on the beach indicated dangerous water conditions, Kyle and two of his friends entered the water and waded and swam about 300 feet to the children. After a brief struggle with the 10-year-old boy, who submerged him, Kyle established a hold on the boy and began to swim toward shore. His friends likewise began to take the two other boys in. The 10-year-old boy’s sister initially swam alongside Kyle but then became fatigued and held to him as he swam. The current impeded the rescuers’ progress, and for several minutes they struggled to overcome it and finally reach wadable water. Other members of Kyle’s party took the 10-year-old boy to safety, and Kyle waded ashore, where he lay, exhausted and aching, on the beach. The other rescuers also reached safety with the two other boys. The four children were examined by responding medical personnel, but they did not need treatment. Kyle recovered after resting.
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