Five sorority sisters from the University of Georgia are being hailed as heroes after they saved a mother and her two children from a sinking SUV in a creek.
Sometimes God places strangers in our lives to show His love and care. In this story, five women were at the right place at the right time to make a difference.
The incident happened on a Friday as Molly McCollum, Jane McArdle, Eleanor Cart, Clarke Jones, and Kaitlyn Iannace were driving from Athens to Savannah for a girls’ weekend. They were in a rural part of Georgia, approaching a bridge about two stories above a creek, when they saw a white SUV leave the roadway and roll over into the creek below.
The women immediately pulled over, turned around, and headed down to the boat ramp area where they saw the white minivan submerged underwater.
Without hesitation, they jumped into the water to help. The mother, Cori Craft, recounted the terrifying moment, “All I was thinking is like I have to get out and get my kids out.”
The group managed to get Craft’s 8-year-old out of the car, but her younger son was submerged for several minutes before they got him out of the water. “We see the mom pop out of the car, and we’re just like, just tag teaming trying to get the children out of the water,” McCollum recalled.
The smaller child, who was four years old, was fully under the water for about four to five minutes.
Thankfully, Clarke Jones knew CPR from her previous work as a lifeguard in high school. Jones said she didn’t have time to swim up to the shore, so she sat on a tire, laid the boy out on the side of the car that wasn’t under the water yet, and performed CPR. Eventually, he started crying and breathing.
“I just remember thinking, ‘God, please help me save this child,’” Clarke recounted. “When he finally started crying and breathing, it was like a miracle.”
The Burke County sheriff’s office and Craft are now thanking the women for their heroic actions. “The quick thinking and bravery of these women is absolutely admirable,” the police said. “We are grateful you were in the right place at the right time.”
Few weeks after the accident, Craft and her children had the chance to meet their rescuers on the Kelly Clarkson Show. Kelly Clarkson called the five women “rad humans” for their bravery and quick thinking.
Cori tearfully thanked them, saying, “I just want to thank each and every one of you for what you all did. I can’t thank each and every one of you enough.”
This story could have been a tragedy for the Craft family, but God’s hand was clearly at work. He guided these brave women to act swiftly and courageously.
When we think about the four-year-old boy, who was underwater for four to five minutes, his recovery is nothing short of a miracle. God guided Clarke to start CPR immediately, right there in the water.
We thank God for placing these women in the right place at the right time to save this family.
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