the essential
A brother and sister aged 12 and 14 who were swimming in the waters of the Arros in Tournay on June 26 were saved from drowning by a biker from Saint-Gaudens. Steven Sanchez, 25, does not yet realize the scope of his heroic gesture.
A heroic gesture, which made it possible to avoid the worst. On the afternoon of June 26, a brother and sister aged 12 and 14 who were swimming in the waters of the Arros river in Tournay, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, almost drowned. Carried away in the currents, the little girl was no longer able to reach the shore. His brother, who tried to help him, found himself in difficulty as well.
A few meters away, Steven Sanchez, a 25-year-old from Saint-Gaudin who was riding his motorcycle in the department, was taking a break at the picnic area near the river. “I was sitting at a table under the trees and I could hear the children playing in the water and laughing. Then the laughter turned into crying and crying for help.” Without hesitation, the biker jumped into the water fully clothed and swam towards the little girl. “His brother was out of breath, but he managed to swim to the edge alone,” said Steven Sanchez, who himself called for help. “The little one was completely white, was vomiting, and she told me that she had asthma and that she didn’t have her ventolin.”
Transported by Samu to the hospital
Firefighters were alerted to the situation and sent numerous resources to the scene. They also requested reinforcement from Samu 65. When the children were taken care of by the rescuers, they were both hypothermic and had swallowed a lot of water. They were treated on site by Samu doctors before being transported to the emergency room of Tarbes hospital.
Until the children left, Steven Sanchez stayed with them, anxious to hear their news. “The father arrived and thanked me profusely. But I simply did what anyone would have done in this case. I didn’t think.” And when he was congratulated for his heroic gesture, this Commingeois who works at the Horizon retirement home in Le Cuing (31) was a little embarrassed.
This evening, firefighters indicate that the lives of the children are no longer in danger, but that without the intervention of this heroic witness, the outcome of this accident could have been tragic.
