Teen Saved By 11-Year Old Expected To Be Okay

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MIAMI (CBSMIAMI) - A 13-year old girl pulled from a pool while she was drowning is expected to be okay.

Usely Michel's stepmother told the Sun-Sentinel, she is alert and talking. They expect her to spend another day or two in the hospital.

Meantime, the person who saved her, 11-year old Angel Rivera, is being hailed as a hero.

"I feel like God is watching me, looking at me, thanking me, I saved somebody's life today," said Rivera.

It happened Sunday at the Highlands mobile home park's pool in Deerfield Beach.

"She was down on the bottom, I picked her up and took her out and then I had to save her life because the people were screaming," said Rivera.

The community pool was closed, the gate was locked and no one was supposed to be in the pool or on the pool deck. But neighbors said the club house door to the pool area was open and more than a dozen children and adults were in and around the pool.

"That's when I noticed she was just right there floating like a star," said Rivera.

"She was unconscious, at the bottom of the pool which is about 8 feet deep," said Broward Sheriff spokesman Mike Jachles.

Witnesses said the 13-year old's sister and mother were by the pool.

"She was sitting right there. She was sitting at the table. She was texting on the phone," said Rivera.

Rivera jumped in and pulled the girl to the surface.

"I just saw her vomiting a lot," said Rivera who admits that he was terrified. "I was thinking like 'wow, is she okay' and I was scared because I thought she would die."

Rivera's mother, who was also there, said she didn't realize anything was wrong until her son pulled the girl out of the water.

"I heard screaming, I heard something going on, I knew it was something serious," said Violetta Rivera.

The adults called 911 and started CPR efforts. Rescue crews rushed the girl to Broward Health North in serious condition.

"You know to watch a drowning or a near drowning happen, you know that's preventable," said Jachles. "This little boy went in, he jumped in, he was in the right place at the right time and got her out. It was quick thinking on his part."

Rivera, who learned how to swim when he was six years old, said he learned a lesson.

"Some kids think they're cool 'cause they're not around their parents. They're like, 'oh I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do that.' But that's the lesson learned today. You need an adult or a lifeguard to be with you. At that moment you never know," said Rivera.

Jachles also stressed the importance of having adults around, especially as swim season kicks off.

"As we head into Memorial Day and the summer season, we do not want to see any drownings," Jachles pointed out. "This should be a message for people about water safety. Water watchers, swim instructors, there is no substitute for direct adult supervision."