EAST KINGSTON, N.H. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A New Hampshire father jumped into action Wednesday after his toddler son fell into a pond near the family's home.
Lori Rivas tells FOX 25 her little brother, Bradley, snuck out of the home on Cove Road in East Kingston and fell into Powwow Pond.
Rivas says the 1 1/2-year-old snuck out at about 11:30 a.m. She says her stepfather, David Towse, forgot to put a child safety lock back on the door after he took out the trash.
"He opened it just enough so he can fit out and he just walked along the deck, crawled down the steps, and we think he tripped and fell, hit his head and rolled into the water," says Rivas.
Bradley's father noticed the house had suddenly become quiet, looked outside, and saw his son floating in the water. The parental adrenaline kicked in.
"He ran out this door right here, came down, pulled him out of the water and before anything ran back inside, kneeled in front of the dog cage and started trying to do whatever he can to get as much water out of Bradley's system as possible," Rivas explains.
Rivas says miraculously, Bradley started to spit up water, and began breathing again. She says her stepdad is a hero for saving her half-brother's life and that she doesn't blame him, for Bradley slipping out. On the contrary, she's just trying not to think about what would've happened if her stepdad hadn't gotten to Bradley quick enough.
"There's really no explaining it," Rivas says. "It's just that overwhelming sense of happiness that I could have lost my little brother that I love a lot."
Bradley's mother tells FOX 25 he is staying overnight at Children's Hospital Boston so that doctors can monitor him, but he is doing okay.
East Kingston police say the horrifying incident is a good reminder that with summer right around the corner, to pay special attention to children anywhere near bodies of water.
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