GULF SHORES, Ala. — A 3-year-old girl who nearly drowned at Lake Shelby is back home recovering, and her grandfather has finally learned the identity of the stranger whose quick CPR is credited with saving her life.
Hadassah Bounds was swimming with her brother and mother, Leann Brand, at the popular Gulf Shores lake on a Monday afternoon when the toddler slipped beneath the surface. Her grandfather, Ron Bounds, said her mother spotted where she thought Hadassah had gone under and sent her 10-year-old brother to find her.
“They were down swimming and I guess the baby just disappeared,” Bounds said. When the boy reached the spot, he found his little sister face-down in the water, still wearing a pool noodle, and pulled her out.
That’s when a man nearby stepped in. According to Bounds, the stranger immediately began CPR and revived Hadassah before paramedics could reach the scene. Gulf Shores Fire Rescue then flew the girl to Sacred Heart Hospital as a precaution.
Doctors believe Hadassah was underwater for only two to three minutes and had taken in relatively little water into her lungs, which they said helped her recover quickly. She was released from the hospital the following afternoon.
In the days after the near-drowning, Bounds searched for the man who had saved his granddaughter’s life but didn’t have a name to go on. The break came through social media: the City of Gulf Shores posted publicly that, according to a Gulf Shores Fire Rescue deputy chief, crews on the scene identified the man as Martin Walker of Citronelle. Gulf Shores Fire Rescue has since said it would help put Walker and the Bounds family in touch.
Bounds said the ordeal could have ended far differently were it not for his daughter’s quick reaction and the stranger’s willingness to step in immediately.
“This could have ended up a whole lot worse. But it wasn’t neglect or anything like that,” Bounds said. “Something like this can happen in the blink of an eye.”
Lake Shelby, located within Gulf State Park, is a popular freshwater swimming spot for families visiting the Gulf Shores area during the summer season, drawing large crowds especially on warm weekdays.