Boy Sees Car Sink into the River, Dives in to Save 3 Girls and a Police Officer

A brave boy from Pascagoula has been lauded as a hero because of his selflessness. He didn't do it to seek attention, but what happened to him afterward has most likely left the young hero feeling shocked.

Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they are just regular people who happen to have the right skills and seem to be in the right place at the perfect time.

A good example is the case of the heroic Pascagoula teenager who practically became an internet sensation overnight. The story begins with a vehicle submerging in water at an odd hour.

THE ACCIDENT

16-year-old Corion Evans had been with his friend around 2 a.m on a Sunday when they noticed a vehicle drive off the I-10 boat launch into the Pascagoula River.

It was carrying three teenage girls. The one behind the wheels later told the cops that she had been completely focused on the GPS when they drove off the launch.

According to the investigation made by the authorities, it traveled 20 feet away from shore before starting to sink. Evans told WLOX, "They drove straight under the water. Like, only a little bit of the car was still above the water."

As soon as it happened, Evans sprang into action. He removed his shoes, stripped to the waist, abandoned his phone, and jumped in. One of his friends, Karon' KJ" Bradley, also followed him and gave him a hand by helping the girls get to the top of the vehicle.

The only thought Evans had was to get the girls out of the water, so that's what he devoted his energy to. According to him, there was no space to think of anything else.

HE ENDED UP SAVING AN EXTRA PERSON

Evans had been swimming since he was three and that Sunday morning, he was right where he needed to be with the right skills. He said, "I was behind them trying to keep them above water and swim with them at the same time."

While his friend KJ worked to get the girls out of the car and unto its roof, Evans returned them to shore. At some point, a first responder turned up.

He was a police officer from Moss Point named Gary Mercer who had gone to help. He also dove into the water to help when he realized what was happening.

Rescuing a person is dangerous and can easily backfire on the rescuer because, more often than not, those who find themselves drowning usually become panicked as they fight for survival.

Mercer swam into the water to help get the girls to shore, but he swallowed too much water while trying to get one of the girls to shore. It left him unable to swim correctly, and soon after, he found himself sinking and crying out for help. Luckily his cry for help was heard by the 16-year-old Evans, who immediately swam back to help.

Evans told WLOX, "I turned around. I see the police officer. He's drowning. He's going underwater, drowning, saying, 'Help!' So, I went over there. I went, and I grabbed the police officer, and I'm like swimming him back until I feel myself I can walk." The girls and Officer Mercer were taken to the hospital afterward, and all survived with barely any damage.

THE AFTERMATH

Evans' good deed was rewarded by the city of Moss Point's police department. The police chief, Brandon Ashley, released a statement where he thanked Evans for his "bravery" and "selflessness." Ashley also acknowledged that the girls may have lost their lives if Evans had not interfered.

To show her appreciation for her hero, one of the accident victims, Cora Watson, shared an appreciation post where she revealed that Evans saved her life "right before my last breath."

According to Evans, the girls kept throwing up during the rescue because they had ingested a lot of water. As a result, Evans had to swim 25 yards to save them while keeping them afloat.

He said: "...It was a lot of swimming. My legs were so tired after. Anything could've been in that water, though. But I wasn't thinking about it."

On Tuesday of that same week, Evans and Mercer received Certificates of Commendation from Mayor Billy Knight and the Board of Alderman at the city's scheduled board meeting. Evans' mom also took to Facebook to express pride in her child's behavior. She wrote in a post:

"I was really proud of Corion because he wasn't just thinking about himself. He was trying to really get all those people out the water. I'm glad nothing happened to him while he was trying to save other people's lives."

Evans' friend, Ashley DeFlanders, also decided to reward him by creating a GoFundMe in his name. In the write-up attached to the fundraiser, DeFlanders reminded people of Evans' heroic efforts and stated that the money would be used to send him to college.

People did not need too much encouragement. The goal was to get $75,000, but at the time of this writing, GoFundMe had recorded over $81,000.

COMMENTS FROM THE USER

Fans had nothing but praises for Evans, which was evident in their comments. Here are a few of them:

This young boy is a hero and inspiration for his generation. He didn't stop to record the scene; he threw his phone and jumped in the water selflessly to help others. Bravo to this incredible young man!! — (@Stephani) July 9, 2022

This young kid saved 4 lives and didn't even care about his own life!! This young man needs a full ride scholarship to college!!!— (@Swnsasy) July 10, 2022

Every time i see this, I wonder why they didn't grant him some help in a career or to further his education… this brave young man is a rare breed, indeed! — (@Betty Kyte) July 10, 2022

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

• What would you have done in Evans' place?

Would you have stopped to help, or would you have fished out your mobile to stream it on Youtube to get views and likes?

Evans was ready to risk his life for that rescue and made the decision in seconds. How long would it have taken you to decide?