A beach day is supposed to be fun in the sun, but one fateful day proved that summer days are not just for catching rays. When one vigilant lifeguard saw something strange in the water, he knew he had to take a chance. But how would it play out weeks later? That was something he never thought he would have to consider, but maybe he should have...
Saving Lives
Lifeguarding is a time-honored profession of people who dedicate their days to protecting swimmers from death in the tumultuous oceans and pools. Around the world, over 1 million lives are saved by lifeguards a year. The International Life Saving Federation has 120 members federations. There are high stakes with this line of work, but allegedly the chances of drowning on a protected beach are 1 in 18 million...
Unpredictable Events
Saving a life can put the lifeguard in a very risky situation. They have to stay in peak physical condition so that they can fight the waves and pull another whole human body back to the shoreline. One Reddit user, Hobviously, wrote about his experience as a lifeguard. One particular instance changed his life for several years, but it started with just another day of work...
Dream Job
"Hobviously" was just his online persona, but the user's real name was Stephen. Stephen spent all of his summers at the beach and his school years in the pool. He was physically ready to become a lifeguard, but mentally? He was very nervous about the transition. Still. he exceeded in the tryouts and soon found himself on the high platform overlooking the beach where he worked...
California Dreaming
The California born swimmer had passed all the necessary training to get the job, but would he really be ready to take on a life-saving position? After all, he was only a swimmer as a hobby. Years down the line, Stephen would choose a different career path, but on this fateful day, he was still watching the beach. Thank god he was there to save the day for one woman...
Current Pulls
“For those of you inexperienced with seashores and beaches," said Stephen "the sea will always push you back to the shore unless you are further than a given point." After that, the current controls your fate. It could either push you deeper and deeper, or it will keep you in the same spot. You'll never be pushed back to the shoreline, and you'll drown of exhaustion quickly...
Fatal Drownings
In the last year, there were just over 3,500 deaths due to accidental drowning. It's said to be one of the most terrifying ways to die since you are slowly realizing that your minutes are numbered. It's a traumatic fate that many people claim is their biggest fear. One woman almost fell victim to this, but luckily, Stephen had a close eye on the water that day...
In Too Deep
Stephen was at his post when he looked out over the ocean and saw something he knew was wrong. There was a girl in the water and she was too far away. "By ‘too far,’ I mean way too far," said Stephen. She was almost doubly as far as anyone else floating in the water. Stephen blew the whistle to alert her back, but he saw something that made his heart stop...
Going Under
Upon closer inspection, Stephen realized that the whistle wasn't going to help at all. The girl was drowning, and she was losing energy fast. Exhaustion would soon take over, and she'd fall below the water and out of sight. Her head was barely above the surface, so Stephen knew what he had to do. He raced across the sand and dove into the water to go save the woman...
Well Trained
Stephen was ready for the rescue, but he was still nervous. What if he couldn't get there in time? Would he be able to survive the guilt? Little did Stephen know that these would become the least of his worries, but that would have to be an issue for a different time. Right now, he had a clear mission and a limited time frame. The seconds were adding up...
Slow Swim
Though he was swimming and rushing as much as possible, Stephen worried that he wasn't pushing himself enough. The waves were strong, but thankfully, people exited the water once they realized what was going on. It was a clear shot to get to the woman, the only thing standing in his way was his own physical limitations. Would he be able to get there in time?
Losing Steam
He was more and more tired with every passing stroke. He was sure that by the time he reached the woman, they might both be drowning. If he didn't die out at sea, the embarrassment of not saving the woman would be enough to make him want to disappear. This rescue mission had a million chances to go wrong, but he refused to let it. He had a plan, but did he have the time?
Drifting Away
As if the situation couldn't get worse, Stephen could tell that the woman was drifting farther and farther away from the shore. It would be difficult if not impossible to get her back to the shore. He was risking his own life by saving hers, but he was sworn to the job. If he couldn't do it, who would be the one to rescue her? With this in mind, he continued swimming deeper and deeper into danger...
Choppy Waters
The farther he got, the worse the waves became. The choppy waters filled his mouth with salt water, and he was dehydrating with every second. The woman was clearly losing consciousness. He didn't have much time to get to her before she stopped floating and began to sink. If that happened, she would be as good as gone. He was so close, but was it close enough?
Heavyweight Swimmer
He was also concerned about their combined weight. Would he be strong enough to carry both of their bodies back to civilization? He had to keep the current in mind. If it was strong enough to pull her out here, it had to be pretty terrible. He would have to drag not only his own body out of it, but an unconscious stranger. He hoped for the best...
Grabbing the Girl
At long last, Stephen reached the mystery girl drowning in the open waters. Carefully but quickly, he managed to get his arm around her waist. As he expected, the extra weight of the spaced-out girl made the swim back more difficult, but he was fueled by pure adrenaline. He knew he had to be the hero for her, or else she wouldn't live to see another day...
Putting On a Show
On their way back to shore, Stephen noticed that quite an audience had formed. Everyone was watching as the teenage swimmer brought the adult woman back to safety. Dryland was only a few hundred feet away, but to the man swimming those feet, it felt more like a couple of miles. He felt his body become weaker as adrenaline faded. Stephen was hitting a wall...
Safe Onshore
Thankfully, Stephen made it all the way to the beach with the woman in tow. While he was relieved, he was well trained and knew that the ordeal was far from over. He administered CPR, and the woman thankfully sputtered back to life, spitting up saltwater onto herself. She thanked Stephen profusely and was sped away in an ambulance. Things didn't end there though...
Paying the Bills
The woman, who chose to remain anymous, was grateful for the rescue, but not for the hospital bills that came with it, and there were a lot. She took three days to recover fully, and those three days in the hospital room added up. She couldn't afford the bills, but she needed the medical attention. How was she going to pay for the experience of surviving drowning?
Lawyer Up
Her family urged her to pursue a lawsuit on the beach to pay for the bills. Surely a giant organization like that would be able to cover her costs. It seemed like a good idea, so the anonymous survivor sued the corporation that owned and operated the public beach. However, this case was thrown out of court. How else was she supposed to get the money in time?
Next In Line
If she couldn't sue the company that operated the beach, then someone else would have to pay. Since it couldn't be her, she decided that suing Stephen would be the best plan of action. Stephen was completely shocked. What could possibly be her logic behind the decision? He was the one who risked his own life to save her. What was her argument even going to be?
Too Late
According to the woman's lawsuit, Stephen took too long to save her. She believed that he had ample time to get her out of the water before she fell unconscious. She said the actions he took were carless, and if he had been a better lifeguard, then she would not have medical bills that she could not pay. This all felt very backward to poor Stephen...
Lifeguard in Training
She had a very important piece of information on her side. See, Stephen was only a lifeguard in training. The actual lifeguard had not been on the beach at the time, so this left Stephen as the second in command. The woman argued that he should have gone to get the real lifeguard, or waited for him to come back. Stephen was awestruck by this thought process...
Swallowing Water
She also argued that Stephen added to her already life-threatening injuries when he performed CPR, despite this being the standard procedure for unconscious individuals who have undergone immense water intake. She said that if he had been able to get to her sooner, she wouldn't have gotten so much water in her lungs and would have been safe. Stephen was flabbergasted...
No Way Out
Stephen was at a loss for words. How was he supposed to argue with this woman who was so bent on suing him for everything he was worth? Even worse, how would he pay for everything? He worked as a summer lifeguard, he wasn't exactly rolling in the dough. He knew he had to hire a lawyer of his own to protect him, but things took a dramatic turn...
The Only Choice
Stephen could not believe was his ideal summer job had come to, lawyers and legal briefings, going over every detail of the day over and over again with his new lawyer. All he wanted to do was soak up the sun, stay in shape, and in one case, save the life of a stranger. He never knew that would be the thing that would put him in a lifetime of debt. It just didn't seem fair...
Losing Lawyer
Stephen was more than irritated but knew what he had to do. He didn't understand. Should he really not have saved her? Should he have not given her CPR? None of this situation made any sense to him, but his lawyer didn't make things any easier. He was a total loser, and was unable to help Stephen in the ways he needed and deserved, but what other option did he have?
Plea Deal
Paying for the lawyer alone would empty out Stephen's bank account. Lawyers can cost anywhere from $150 to $500 per hour, and that was just for a standard lawyer. For a case like Stephen's, he'd have to shell out even more. Even if he won the suit, who knew how much money he would lose just protecting himself. His first lawyer took $3,500 before he told him something infuriating...
Pay Up
The first lawyer advised Stephen to take a deal with the defendant. This deal would have cost Stephen over $150,000 and a lot of his pride. The legal fees actually added up to become more than what the woman was suing him for. Stephen was shocked and absolutely refused. He felt he was innocent and deserved a fair trial, so he denied the plea deal...
Losing More Money
The lawyer advised Stephen to settle for $20,000. This amount would cover the mysterious woman's legal fees and additional medical bills. It would also cover the wages she wasn't able to earn while in the hospital. The deposit on the lawyer fee was $800, but Stephen fired him after this consultation. He needed alternate representation, one that he actually trusted...
Attorney Attained
After disagreeing with his first attorney, Stephen decided to get a second opinion. He hired a second lawyer to validate that he was not in the wrong, and this was the professional who stayed with him through to the end of the trial. Stephen spent almost a year trying to get the case dismissed, but the judge had another idea of how his nightmare ended...
Time Flies
Stephen spent several months trying to get the lawsuit dismissed. They even filed a motion (which was eventually granted), but the legal problems kept stacking up. He considered lots of different ways to pursue the case, even countersuing the woman who had landed him in a minefield of financial troubles. He could sue her for frivolity or stacked legal fees...
No Guarantee
Stephen heavily considered the countersue option. It was definitely a risky move on his part. She could very easily just not ever pay him, and he would lose even more money in the process. If Stephen lost it too, well then he'd drown in debt for the remainder of his life. It seemed that there was no easy way out of this mess, and it was becoming too much to bear...
Bet On It
Stephen knew that the safest bet he could make would just be to pay the court fees as was expected and just continue forward. It ruined his ego, but the longer the case went on, the steeper the fees became, and they would only grow. In the end, he felt that he had made the mature and responsible choice that benefited all parties. He wasn't happy though...
Walk Away
Stephen decided to leave the risk behind and not pursue the woman in court, even though she pursued him first. She had almost lost her life, and without Stephen, she would not have made it out alive. Though the repercussions weren't what he expected, Stephen knew he did the right thing by saving her. Stephen learned that sometimes you should walk away, but sometimes you should dive right in...