HEROIC: In a Florida neighborhood, an SUV flipped upside down and plunged into a water-filled canal with a mother and her three young children trapped inside.
Hearing cries for help, local resident Casey Curtis rushed toward the canal. As he reached the edge, he saw the vehicle quickly filling with water and one of the young boys frantically banging on the window, crying that his mother was submerged.
Without hesitation, Curtis waded into the water to reach the upside-down vehicle. He managed to open the door and pull all three children out one by one, bringing each of them safely to the bank.
Knowing the mother was still trapped inside, Curtis swam back to the submerged SUV. Inside, he found the mother unconscious, buckled into her seat with her head below the surface. He unbuckled her, lifted her face above the water, and delivered rescue breaths right there in the canal until she gasped and began breathing on her own.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene shortly after to transport the family to the hospital. The mother spent several days in intensive care before making a full recovery alongside her three uninjured children. Curtis's swift actions prevented a tragedy and saved an entire family.
These images are from when they reunited in hospital.