Mountain Brook man saved from drowning by two sons and their friend

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - A Mountain Brook man was saved from drowning in his pool last week, all thanks to his two young boys and their friend. They are now being called heroes.

It was such a close call and happened only days before Father’s Day. Fortunately, the two sons were able to celebrate the holiday with their dad this past weekend.

It’s an experience nobody anticipates going through.

Brad Hassig was swimming in his backyard pool with his two ten-year-old boys, Bridon and Christian, along with their friend Sam Ebert.

“I like to do breathing exercises,” said Brad. “It’s peaceful and relaxing. I love being under water; something I do all the time. I say the Lord’s Prayer when I do this. It’s kind of a meditation... I don’t remember finishing it.”

Brad says the next thing he remembers is feeling relaxed and peaceful.

“He usually sits kind of like he’s meditating,” said Christian. “I could see he was shaking a bunch and then he just laid on his side. Since I had goggles on, I could see his face was turning very light blue. I told Bridon, ‘Dad’s not okay.’”

“Me and Sam dove into the water and I got one shoulder and he got the other,” said Bridon. “We just dragged him to the steps.”

Brad was unresponsive and the boys sprung into action. While Christian quickly ran to find help, Bridon started resuscitating his dad.

“I first gave him CPR a little and then I started giving him mouth to mouth and then he started throwing up foam and salt water and blood,” said Bridon.

“It was like I just got slammed on my side,” said Brad. “When I kind of came to -- I’m coughing up blood and water, struggling to breathe, and there’s people everywhere. My one son was yelling, ‘Daddy, daddy, come back!’”

He was rushed by ambulance to Grandview Medical Center’s emergency room where he was admitted to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. They kept him at the hospital overnight and he was released 24 hours later.

“I mean it’s just emotions are just overwhelming you that your boys saved your life,” said Brad. “There’s no way physically that they should have been able to do what they did. They hadn’t had training to do what they did, to act as fast, to run as fast, as far, to know to flag down somebody to call 911 while the other is doing CPR on you. I mean, it’s a God thing. God’s hand was all over it.”

“I felt like a voice, cause it wasn’t them or Sam,” said Bridon. “I felt like a voice in my head, ‘Save your dad.’ Jesus put a hand on our shoulder and guided us through the whole part.”

“When he came home, that’s got to be the happiest moment of my life,” said Christian.

“I probably hugged him two straight minutes like I just didn’t want to let go,” said Bridon.

“I love them,” said Brad. “I’m very proud of them and grateful. I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life.”

Bridon and Christian said they learned how to save someone from movies. While the boys had no training, the Hassig Family now wants to set up a group training to help certify both adults and children on how to do CPR.

Brad says the number one thing to remember: Never swim alone.

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