Family Saves Eight Children from Drowning
By: KGW
Updated: September 17, 2012
It was the Gibson family reunion and the first time the family had ever gathered at Hagg Lake near Gaston.
"I said to my wife, somebody's having a problem, and so I took off and as I was running down, I saw Erik running to the water," said Evan Gibson who helped save children.
All at about the same time they noticed things had suddenly become quiet and some children playing in the water had gone under at a steep drop-off point.
Michelle Rushing and the others bolted for the water unable to see, they felt their way around under the surface.
"I had tripped over a couple of them so I was trying to get down and I brought one up," said Rushing.
"You couldn't see any of the other kids in the water, so I was just kind of reaching down trying to grab whatever you could," said Eric MacLean who also helped to save the children.
One by one the family brought eight kids ranging from ages six to thirteen to shore.
At first two kids were not breathing.
"And she was limp and I didn't think that there was, she was going to wake up and that's why it was amazing to me that just a couple of rolls and her eyes fluttered," said Lura Kirby who saved the children.
Both children began breathing again before the crews arrived.
You would think something like this would draw a large crowd, and it didn't.
"I ran by a picnic table full of people, I ran by other people sitting on the beach on towels and nobody was responding," said Evan Gibson.
But this family helped save the lives of eight children by jumping into action
"I said to my wife, somebody's having a problem, and so I took off and as I was running down, I saw Erik running to the water," said Evan Gibson who helped save children.
All at about the same time they noticed things had suddenly become quiet and some children playing in the water had gone under at a steep drop-off point.
Michelle Rushing and the others bolted for the water unable to see, they felt their way around under the surface.
"I had tripped over a couple of them so I was trying to get down and I brought one up," said Rushing.
"You couldn't see any of the other kids in the water, so I was just kind of reaching down trying to grab whatever you could," said Eric MacLean who also helped to save the children.
One by one the family brought eight kids ranging from ages six to thirteen to shore.
At first two kids were not breathing.
"And she was limp and I didn't think that there was, she was going to wake up and that's why it was amazing to me that just a couple of rolls and her eyes fluttered," said Lura Kirby who saved the children.
Both children began breathing again before the crews arrived.
You would think something like this would draw a large crowd, and it didn't.
"I ran by a picnic table full of people, I ran by other people sitting on the beach on towels and nobody was responding," said Evan Gibson.
But this family helped save the lives of eight children by jumping into action
