‘Never seen anything like it’: Spokane Valley kids receive award after saving man from drowning in hotel pool

Four kids were playing in the Mirabeau Park Hotel in Spokane Valley last month when someone started screaming. A man, who was snorkeling minutes earlier, was face down in the pool.

The four kids – Ben Wagele, Weston Collins, and siblings Rae Overby and Ethan Overby – sprang into action, pulling the unconscious man from the pool and onto the cement floor.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Brian Treffry, deputy chief of operations for Spokane Valley Fire. “There was a person dead in that pool, and these six individuals got that person out of that pool and started the chain of life recovery before we got there.”

Paramedic captain Kevin Dunn submitted the kids and two adults – Tammy Hall and Donoven Bond – for a Life saving Award.

“These individuals demonstrated exceptional awareness, initiative and teamwork under pressure, it is highly unlikely the patient would have survived without their immediate and decisive actions, and they are absolutely deserving of recognition,” Dunn wrote in his letter recommending the award.

The six of them received those awards Monday, during the fire commissioners board meeting.

The man they rescued is alive and well, now in Seattle.

Rae Overby, a student at University High School, had taken a CPR class through the fire department a week before. She was the one who started chest compressions.

Incident safety officer Ben Riddle was a part of the response to the 911 call that day, April 18. While Riddle was aware CPR had already started, he was surprised at the progress that was made in the minutes before he and his team arrived.

“By the time I got there, the patient was sitting up and talking to AMR paramedics,” Riddle said. “We quickly found out the story, that these fine young men and women and staff personnel all helped save this gentleman’s life.”

West Valley School District paraeducator Tammy Hall continued the chest compressions until paramedics arrived. Hall was near the front desk, preparing for a banquet at the hotel when she heard screams.

“I just took off running for the pool,” Hall said. “I took over CPR and a little bit of water came out of his mouth, so I tipped him over, got the water out and brought him back. I could tell he was still there, so I just kept going.”

Later that day, after paramedics took care of the man, Hall saw him again.

“He started crying, I started crying, his wife was crying,” Hall said, wiping her eyes from the memory of it all.

Hall lost her husband in January and did CPR on him when she found his body, but he was already dead. She said this may have been God’s way of telling her to forgive herself for not being able to save her husband.

Donoven Bond was the other adult given the award.

Rae Overby encourages everyone, even kids, to learn CPR.

“You can use it at any age. It’s definitely a good time to learn,” Rae Overby said.

She wants to be an emergency medical technician when she grows up.

“I definitely want to go into a field to help other people,” Rae Overby said.

Wagele wants to be a wildfire mitigation specialist.

“Luckily, we were there to save his life. We took action immediately and found out he was not breathing or responsive, but it was very scary,” Wagele said.

While the incident was traumatizing and gave several of the kids a restless night’s sleep, they all said they were happy to have been there.

“I always like helping,” Wagele said.