An 11-year-old boy from Kentucky is being hailed as a hero after fearlessly diving into a swimming pool to rescue a drowning man when no one else stepped in.
Avory Woolery sprang into action after spotting an unidentified man submerged in the pool at a Lexington apartment complex around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, according to local news outlet WKYT.
“I was like, somebody’s gotta do something. No one was doing anything, so I put on my goggles. I went underwater. I grabbed him up,” Woolery told the outlet.
The young hero said he noticed the man was “unconscious under the water, almost shaking,” and that was when his “adrenaline kicked in.”
“There was no way that I was going to let another man die today. He’s a human being. He should be treated as such,” Woolery said.
After pulling the man toward the surface, another person at the pool helped Woolery drag the victim onto the pool deck. Bystanders then continued lifesaving efforts until emergency responders arrived.
“His friend, I believe, put him on the floor and started doing CPR on him to try and save him the best he could, until somebody called 911,” Woolery recalled.
The Lexington Fire Department told WKYT that the man was transported to a hospital in serious condition but did not release further details about his injuries.
As of Friday, July 3, his condition remained unknown.
Woolery’s courageous actions quickly drew praise on social media, with many commending the 11-year-old for his bravery and quick thinking.
“What a very brave young man!!” one Facebook user wrote, echoing the sentiments of many others.
