An underwater breathing exercise nearly turned fatal for an Alabama father recently, but his 10-year-old twin sons were able to save him with CPR lessons they learned in an unexpected place.
According to NBC News, Bridon Hassig’s memory of the CPR scene from the 1993 film “The Sandlot” saved his father’s life. His twin brother, Christian, ran to get help as the boy performed life-saving measures he had no training in.
“I just had a moment when Jesus was sitting right behind us the whole time. There’s no way we should have been able to do that,” Bridon said, according to WBMA.
His father, Brad Hassig, had been doing an underwater breathing and calming exercise during a family swim session in a backyard pool when he suddenly passed out. Bridon and his friend Sam Ebert helped pull Brad to the pool’s steps before he began doing CPR
“I hear the boys saying, ‘daddy come back’ and ‘daddy you have to be ok,’” Brad recalled. He said the experience has made him realize how important it is never to swim alone.
Indeed, using a “buddy system,” is one of the drowning prevention methods recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, there are an estimated 3,960 fatal unintentional drownings every year in the U.S. – an average of 11 deaths per day – in addition to 8,080 annual nonfatal drownings – an average of 22 per day.
More than 40% of drownings require hospitalization or transfers for further care and drowning injuries can cause brain damage and other serious outcomes, such as long-term disability. Brad was taken to the hospital but recovered.
Nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male, according to the CDC. Drowning is also a leading cause of death for children from 1 year old to 14 years old.
Data from the centers lists Alaska as the state with the most drowning deaths per 100,000 people, followed by Hawaii, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi.
“It’s hard to believe,” Brad said of his near-drowning. “It’s very humbling. I’m so grateful.”
For those who need to help a potential drowning victim and don’t know CPR, emergency dispatchers can help guide people through the process over the phone.
Although Bridon’s close watch of “The Sandlot” helped the family this time, they now plan to officially get CPR training.
First responders cited by WBMA also recommend swimming at pools with a lock, gate and fence and to keep floats out of the pool area when not being used as to not attract children.
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