While at work, Jennifer Potter was confronted with a drowning boy – and she took the brave decision to try and save him. But, shockingly, it turned out that he wasn’t the only one in danger. Potter was faced, then, with retrieving a second body.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018, was a summer’s day that may have begun like many others for Potter. Little did she know, however, that before she went to bed again, she would have to make a decision that affected not just one but two lives.
It was far from a coincidence that Potter was present at the scene of the accident, though. That’s because she holds the position of assistant manager at the Brookwood Apartments in Indianapolis, Indiana, where the incident took place.
And on that particular day, Potter was inspecting the grounds of the complex accompanied by a maintenance worker. But although this duty is something that she had likely performed on several previous occasions, this time she was in for a shock.
The pair, who had been traveling on a golf cart, soon became aware of a noise coming from an area of the complex. Then, following the sound, Potter and her co-worker drove over to the pool, where it eventually became apparent that someone was in extreme danger.
And as Potter looked towards the pool, she could see a young boy struggling in the water. So, even though it was unclear at this point how the child had ended up in his situation, Potter, without hesitation, decided to spring into action.
Speaking to WISH-TV in June 2018, Potter recalled the moment when she had first seen the boy. She said, “I’m just running at this point, and I’m literally throwing my coat off [and] dropping my phone and keys. It felt like forever to get to the side of the pool.”
And Potter should be commended for taking action; after all, making that judgment call in the heat of the moment is something that not many would be brave enough to do. But this distressing scene was not the complete picture. You see, once Potter had jumped into the water, she discovered something else.
After Potter had leapt into the pool and swum towards the drowning boy in a bid to save him, she became aware of a second body in the water. A woman, whom Potter correctly assumed was his mother, was below the surface holding the boy up.
Later in June 2018, Potter spoke to WTHR and told them that she had “[swum] straight over to [the child] and then realized there was a mother beneath the little boy.” She added, “I ended up grabbing both and swimming as fast I could. I got a little panicky. I’m not going to lie.”
Yet while Potter was able to snatch up mom and child, she was unable to keep the mother’s head above water. Instead, she had to focus on pulling them both to safety. Fortunately, though, with the help of an employee, she was able to get the two individuals out of the water.
Then, after the incident, Potter told the fire service that although she would consider herself a competent swimmer, she in fact doesn’t swim very often. With that in mind, her decision to jump into the pool is perhaps even more remarkable.
Now, although you may think that this incident couldn’t get any more nerve-wracking, you would be wrong. Why? Well, when they lifted the mother out of the water, Potter and those who were there to help could see that she was pregnant.
At this point, Potter was still unaware of the circumstances surrounding the accident. Luckily, though, witnesses were able to ultimately shed some light on exactly what had happened in the lead-up to Potter and her co-worker finding the struggling pair.
According to those who had watched, the mom – who was six months pregnant – and her son had been making their way around the pool when he had lost his footing and fallen in. Despite the fact that the mom couldn’t swim, she had jumped in after him and had been able to raise him up by keeping his head above water.
Amazingly, quick-thinking Potter had found the pair in time. Then, once everyone had gotten out of the pool, her co-worker called 911. On the call, he said, “We had an adult, potentially pregnant female, jump in to save a kid… and she’s drowning in the pool. They pulled her up [and] she’s breathing now, but she needs to be checked.”
Perhaps neither the mom nor her son would have made it if Potter hadn’t intervened, though. That was certainly the opinion of Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief Rita Reith, who would tell WXIN that the assistant manager had “saved three lives” that day.
Thankfully, both the mother and the boy were taken to local hospitals and were expected to make a full recovery. The mom was even able to speak to Potter before she was taken to the hospital, and she used the opportunity to thank her rescuer.
But why did Potter decide to jump in when she saw the boy struggling instead of waiting for help? Well, she told WTHR that it had simply been a matter of instinct, adding, “That was all it was. There was a kid in the pool, you go to that kid, and it doesn’t matter.”
Potter went on, “I’d do it all over in a heartbeat, no question… I’m just glad I was here really. That’s all I think about because it could have been much worse… I’m glad it was a happy ending, and we’re all here today.”
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