9-Year-Old Florida Boy Saves Dad Who Fractured His Neck In Diving Accident

A 9-year-old Florida boy saved his father from drowning after he fractured his neck in a diving accident Saturday, Aug 1.

After suffering the injury, Asaih Williams’s dad, Josh Williams, lay on his stomach and was unable to move. Asaih, despite a 100-pound weight difference with his dad, mustered all his strength to turn him over to ensure he wasn’t at risk of drowning. He then slowly dragged him to the shore until bystanders came to help.

"All I remember was that he said he broke his neck and he said he was scared," Asaih told Pensacola News Journal.

Asaih said while diving with someone, he gives the person a set amount of time to emerge and if he doesn’t, he goes in to help. “I had a little time limit in my head. If I jump in and the person I’m jumping with in that certain amount of time (doesn’t come up), I go after them,” he said.

The family of five was at Quietwater Beach when the incident happened. After spending all day relaxing and swimming, Asaih convinced his dad to take one last dip from a dock into the Santa Rosa Sound, where the water turned out to be a lot more shallow than expected.

Asaih’s mom, Audrey Williams, said she was further away onshore with the younger children at the time of the incident. "They were kind of playing around where the ferry docks in, so it's about 15 feet deep right there. Then they went down a little bit further, to the right, at the end, where it was a lot more shallow. They couldn't see that well," she said.

Josh was transported to the hospital, where he underwent spinal surgery and was expected to recover. Doctors said his injuries weren’t life-altering and he won’t require a wheelchair in the long run, but he was still trying to regain feelings in his arms and legs.

“He's progressing pretty fast. He lifted his head and sat up in a chair (Tuesday)," Audrey told the News Journal.