Sister, brother save boy from drowning in Idaho Falls: “He wasn’t moving at all”
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IDAHO FALLS – An Arizona woman and her brother, an Idaho Falls resident, are being called heroes after they saved a 4-year-old boy from drowning at Gem Lake Sunday afternoon.
Alicia Galbreath, 40, her family, and brother, Brandon Olsen, 37, had pulled into the dock around 4:00 p.m. after boating most of the afternoon.
“I actually started walking (on the dock) and realized there was a little boy face down in the water,” Olsen said. “I realized he wasn’t moving at all. I just hollered, ‘Whose kid is this?'”
Olsen grabbed the boy from the water and Galbreath, who is CPR certified, came running over.
“He’s not breathing, he’s unresponsive, he has no pulse and he’s blue,” Galbreath said. “So I immediately start CPR.”
Galbreath’s son, Sheldon, called 911 as she gave the boy mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions.
After two minutes, Galbreath said the boy finally took a breath and spit out water. His mother, who had been on shore, ran to his side.
“She just started bawling,” Olsen said. “After she recognized it was her kid, I’m sure it hit her like a tidal wave.”
EMT’s arrived within minutes and the boy was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Investigators said it’s unclear whether the child went out in the water too deep or if something else caused him to lose consciousness.
Galbreath, who became CPR certified so she could teach Zumba classes, said it’s a decision that’s changed her life.
“You pray to God you never have to use it,” Galbreath said. “I just did what I had to do.”
When told she saved a life, Galbreath responded, “God saved a life. He just used me as a tool.”
The family said they almost went to Blacktail Reservoir on Sunday. They’re thankful they made the decision to go to Gem Lake instead.
The identity of the four-year-old boy and his family has not been released. EastIdahoNews.com has requested information and an update about the boy who was saved at the lake. We will post details as soon as we receive them.