Rescuers Who Saved Drowning Girl Honored
A group of volunteers, Fire Department personnel and emergency medical workers who saved the life of a 10-year-old girl last month were honored Friday at a ceremony at Los Angeles Fire Station 87 in Granada Hills.
Peggy Young of Sylmar, a pediatric nurse at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, was given special recognition for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Arlette Hardy moments after she was pulled unconscious from a neighbor’s pool during a birthday party.
The date of the incident, July 13, is also Young’s birthday.
“It was a good day to keep someone alive,” said Young, who had attended the neighbor’s party with her 10-year-old daughter.
As the party drew to a close, Arlette and another girl were still in the pool. Phil Rivera, who was hosting the party with his wife, Cil, and watching the girls, turned away. At the same moment Arlette lost hold of an inflated raft in the deep end and sank to the bottom.
Alerted by the other girl, Phil Rivera dived in and pulled Arlette out. At that point Young took over.
Cil Rivera and several emergency and medical workers also were credited with contributing to Arlette’s rescue.
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