Nicole Grayson, 43, jumped into the St. Johns River after her young son fell into the water at Ed Stone Park, west of DeLand, around 4 p.m. Saturday. The child had been playing with an object near a wooden fence along the river’s edge when he dropped it over the barrier and fell in while trying to retrieve it.
Rescue Efforts
Grayson immediately went in after him, using all her strength to keep her son above water. A witness flagged down a passing boater, who threw two life preservers toward the mother and child. Grayson eventually became submerged while continuing to hold her son above the water.
A frantic 911 caller told dispatchers that rescuers had managed to reach the child but were still struggling to recover his mother. The boater maneuvered close enough to pull the 4-year-old aboard, and he was unharmed. Witness Jon Reaka helped pull Grayson from the river, and emergency medical personnel took over lifesaving measures after arriving at the park.
Grayson was rushed to a hospital, where efforts to revive her continued for several hours. She died in the intensive care unit around 10 p.m. Saturday. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood praised the witnesses and boater who rushed to help Grayson and her son, saying she would be remembered as a hero.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
