A dad from Utah is thrilled to celebrate Father's Day this past weekend after nearly drowning alongside his young sons recently.
The father and his sons, aged 8 and 10, were floating on an inflatable kayak down the Colorado River on Thursday. Before they knew it, the kayak flipped, sending the three into a raging river.
Eric Odenthal and his friend Gaar Lausman were in the area and saw the whole thing happen.
"I ended up seeing the kids floating downstream with one of the kids kind of facing down, struggling," Odenthal told the local news station.
While Odenthal didn't have gear to help the struggling family, Lausman grabbed his paddleboard and headed towards them. He was able to grab both boys and put them safely onto his paddleboard.
The father continued floating down the fast-flowing river, struggling to stay above the water.
Lausman and Odenthal watched, not knowing how to help this man, when a third Good Samaritan came out of nowhere on a Jetski.
"It was literally a miracle this guy showed up," says Odenthal.
Daniel Wright saw what was happening in a different area of the river and felt he had to help. Initially when he jetskiid over, he couldn't find where the dad went. Finally, a hand popped up and Wright was able to lift him onto his Jetski safely.
"All I remember, just, I had to help them," said Wright . "I had to get him."
The Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (GCSAR) investigated the incident and are encouraging people to be water-smart.
"The 10-year-old was reportedly wearing a belt-pack [personal flotation device] PFD that inflated with a C02 cartridge," GCSAR posted to Facebook. "That PFD had flipped the boy over so he was face down in the water. The 8-year-old was wearing a PFD that was too big and failed to keep his head above water."
The 8 and 10-year-old boys, along with their father, ended up safe from the entire incident, thanks to fast-thinking bystanders.
"I’m just really thankful," Wright concluded. "I really just think God just had me right there at the right time."