Hero 5-year-old saves brother from drowning

At just five years old, little Jacob Maughmer became a hero after saving his younger brother from drowning in a pool.

It was Christmas Day last year, and Jacob’s family were celebrating their first Christmas in their new home with family and friends. Jacob’s mum, Jessica, says they had all enjoyed a swim before sitting down for lunch.

“Prior to anyone swimming, everyone was briefed about our pool safety rules which included the importance of our youngest son Daniel not being allowed into the pool area without his Mum or Dad and that only an adult would open the pool gate,” says Jessica. “Daniel is only two, and although confident in the water with his life vest he is never allowed to swim unassisted.”

The kids were all eager to get back in the pool after lunch but had been instructed to wait for an adult to open the gate. Jacob’s dad, Jose, had applied sunscreen to little Daniel and was then applying his own while Jessica was clearing plates from the table.

“Within seconds of my husband applying Daniel’s sunscreen, I turned around to face the pool to put plates in the bin and noticed the children were already in the pool area. I then instantly observed my son Jacob, who is only 5 years old, swimming my son Daniel to the edge of the pool.”

Daniel, who wasn’t wearing his life vest, had followed the other children into the pool area and jumped straight into the pool. Jacob noticed his brother in distress in the water and, demonstrating great composure and quick thinking, swam to Daniel – who was now underwater – and brought him safely back to the edge.

Although Daniel was frightened and had taken in some water, he was unharmed thanks to Jacob’s swift actions. Jacob’s courage in rescuing his brother undoubtedly saved Daniel’s life. For his actions, Jacob was presented with a Royal Life Saving Gold Medallion at this year’s Bravery Awards.

Jessica and Jose later reviewed footage from the house security cameras which had captured the whole incident, showing that Daniel had been under the water for around 20 seconds.

“We were in shock by what we witnessed and how lucky we were that day,” said Jessica, who nominated Jacob for the award. “Jacob saved his brother’s life and I have never been so proud of him than I was this day. I truly believe he deserves this award as I know the outcome could have been much more tragic.

“We have always taught our boys to look after each other and I can honestly say I am still in awe of what Jacob did. So calm, confident and brave. His actions were instant, he knew straight away that his brother was in trouble, he knew what he needed to do and just did it.”