Jack, 7, saves brother’s life

11:03am Tuesday 13th May 2008

YOUNG Jack Dudley hasn't even started "big" school yet but he's already a hero after saving his three-year-old brother from drowning.

For the seven-year-old sprung into action after he saw his little brother, Sam, sinking under the water in the pool at their family home.

Today Jack and Sam's parents hailed their son a hero after their youngest boy whipped off his armbands and tried to jump to an inflatable.

Dad Pete, 45, who is the commercial manager for the York City Knights and also works for BT, told how the drama unfolded on Sunday afternoon at their home in Brayton, Selby.

He said: "It happened so fast but through a series of coincidences the children, who were playing happily in the pool, were out of view for about 30 seconds.

"But in that time Sam decided to take off his armbands and jump for the inflatable in our pool. But he missed and started sinking towards the bottom.

"Jack saw Sam struggling on the surface and then begin to sink, so he dove under the water and tried to pull him up. But Sam slipped from his grasp, something Jack, bless him, still feels guilty about.

"So he dove under again and this time managed to get his brother to the surface, he then got his hand under Sam's chin, kept his head out of the water and swam to the side pulling his brother."

At this point mum Kim, 41, pulled little Sam from the water, then his dad started trying to pump the water from his son's lungs while his mother phoned an ambulance.

What happened next were the longest 15 seconds of Mr Dudley's life. He said: "Sam's lips were blue and his face was going blue and when Kim pulled him from the water his body was so limp.

"He was unconscious and so lifeless and I started compressing his lungs, which seemed to take a lifetime. To start with, nothing happened and I started to think it wasn't working, then he started to gurgle a bit, and then finally he started crying, which was such a relief."

An ambulance then arrived and took Sam to York Hospital where he was treated for fluid on his lungs and finally allowed home last night.

Mr Dudley said: "We are so proud of Jack, he has been a bit tearful because he blames himself for not getting hold of Sam the first time but we couldn't be prouder. To show that level of composure is incredible and we have got something special planned for him."

Youngster inspired by cartoon hero to save smiling' brother

Plucky young Jack today told how he tried to be like his cartoon hero Ben 10, which also features a brave young boy.

Jack said: "I saw my baby brother take his armbands off and go into the water. He was trying to make it to an inflatable but he missed and was going under in the deep end.

"I just jumped in and tried to grab him. It was quite hard because he is quite heavy. He went down again so I went down and got him again. It was hard to keep his head above water but we got him out. My mum was shouting and my dad started pumping water out of him. We thought he was dead.

"I'm happy he is alright because he is my baby brother and we are good friends. He is always smiling. I watch programmes like Ben 10 which have heroes. I am glad I saved my brother."

Lessons to be learned, says dad

WHILE Jack's dad today told of his pride over his son's heroic actions, Pete Dudley said the drama had highlighted some important lessons which ALL parents should heed.

Mr Dudley said: "It highlights how important it is to make sure your children learn to swim. Thankfully, Jack has been going to swimming lessons every week since he was four and is in a swimming club. Ironically, in the past couple of weeks they have just began to touch on life-saving, so Jack had some idea of what he needed to do.

"However, for me, the most important thing to highlight is just how quickly something can happen with children. In our case, I was talking with a friend while Kim popped to the loo and I think her mum just popped to the kitchen to put the kettle on maybe while the children seemed to be playing confidently and happily.

"But in that 30 second window Sam decided to take off his armbands and it all happened. It is such a wake-up call for us because we are so lucky that Jack was there to react so quickly to get his brother out of the water. If it had been even just one minute in total before Sam was out I don't think the little boy would be alive today.

"We've certainly learned a big lesson from this episode and I would encourage others parents to take note."