{"id":18690,"date":"2024-06-21T10:06:52","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T14:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=18690"},"modified":"2024-06-21T10:06:52","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T14:06:52","slug":"hero-thanks-god-after-dad-drowning-kids-saved-in-the-nick-of-time-literally-a-miracle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2024\/06\/hero-thanks-god-after-dad-drowning-kids-saved-in-the-nick-of-time-literally-a-miracle.html","title":{"rendered":"Hero Thanks God After Dad Drowning, Kids Saved in The Nick of Time: ‘Literally a Miracle’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"rescue\"<\/a>
Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue\/Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Good Samaritans recently came to the rescue of a father and two kids who likely would\u2019ve drowned in a Utah river had they not shown up to help. Some might call the rescue a prime example of a chance encounter \u2014 a \u201cright place at the right time\u201d scenario. However, Eric Odenthal, one of the heroes at the center of the story, is calling it all a \u201cmiracle.\u201d The dramatic scenario unfolded when the inflatable kayak a father and two sons were using in the Colorado River flipped over, and the family became scattered in raging waters,\u00a0KSL-TV reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It just so happens that Odenthal and his friend, Gaar Lausman, were in the area so Lausman could paddleboard. Odenthal told the outlet, \u201cIt\u2019s fun, and it\u2019s enjoyable if you have the right gear. But it\u2019s very dangerous if you do not.\u201d Odenthal quickly noticed the terrifying crisis unfolding in the water. \u201cI ended up seeing the kids floating downstream with one of the kids kind of facing down, struggling,\u201d he told\u00a0KSL-TV<\/a>. Odenthal didn\u2019t have the right gear to help, but Lausman was equipped, so he hopped on his paddleboard and rescued the kids, aged 8 and 10. But, while the kids were scooped up, the dad was further away and barely able to keep above water.<\/p>\n

Just when it felt all hope was lost, something shocking happened: a man named Daniel Wright suddenly emerged on a jet ski. \u201cIt was literally a miracle this guy showed up,\u201d Odenthal\u00a0said<\/a>. According to the Grand County Sheriff\u2019s Search and Rescue (GCSAR), Wright was initially passed by the father, but he didn\u2019t see him. It wasn\u2019t until Lausman got his attention that he turned around and found him. For his part, Wright scrambled to reach the father, who, at that point, was reaching his hand up out of the water in a final attempt at being rescued.<\/p>\n