Nurse Revives Boy Found at Bottom of Park Pool
A 10-year-old boy who had been pulled from the bottom of a public swimming pool Sunday was saved by an off-duty nurse who administered mouth-to-mouth breathing.
Ricardo Gonzales was awake and alert in stable condition at Martin Luther Hospital in Anaheim after the near-drowning at Independence Park on West Valencia Drive, hospital officials said.
Maureen Finnerty, a St. Jude Hospital nurse, happened to be at poolside when a lifeguard pulled the boy from the water about 1:40 p.m.
“It wasn’t heroic,” she said. “It’s just something you do. I just wish him well.”
Finnerty’s actions, however, apparently saved Ricardo’s life.
Fullerton Fire Department Capt. Jon McAulay said the child was not breathing when the lifeguard plucked him out of the pool. Finnerty immediately began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and Ricardo was breathing on his own and talking by the time paramedics arrived, McAulay said.
Paramedics gave the boy oxygen and stabilized his neck and back in case he had suffered any undetected injuries.
No one saw how Ricardo ended up at the bottom of the pool.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
