PERRYSBURG, Ohio — A 7-year-old fell from a high dive on June 17 at the Perrysburg Municipal Pool. He didn’t fall into the water, though, he hit the concrete below.
“Tried to grab onto the bar but I couldn’t because my hands were super slippery,” said Ethan Beer, describing the moment he fell off the diving board.
He said he got scared, took a misstep and fell onto the concrete. The trip to the pool to beat the heat ended with a trip to the emergency room.
But thankfully, his only injuries were scratches on one of his ankles.
In a short video taken seconds before the fall by Ethan’s mom, Carrie Hall, she screams as she realizes her son slipped off the diving board.
Hall said she just wanted to capture a big moment for him on video.
“He’s so new at it and I was trying to cheer him on,” she said. “That was a little more than I bargained for.”
Lifeguards, other swimmers and first responders rushed to Ethan’s aid. But none quicker than Ethan’s mom.
“Trying to get to him as fast as I could I was trying to catch him before he hit the ground,” Hall said. “I saw him start to fall and I knew he was holding onto the bar. I was trying to get to him before he fell.”
Kym Cragel, a swim instructor for GR8 Lakes Swim Babies, said “It is a miracle that he’s OK.”
Cragel teaches children self-rescue swim lessons and said swim classes teach courage, too.
“It makes them confident, and with their competency comes better confidence in the water and around the water,” she said.
Hall said she plans to put her son in more swim lessons.
Until then, Ethan will be taking a break from the high dive and advises other kids to “always be careful.”
After the incident, Hall said she got calls from lawyers wanting her to sue the city because of the fall. She has no intention of doing that, though, because she doesn’t feel anyone did anything wrong.
“It was an unfortunate event that happened but I’m glad everyone jumped in to help,” Hall said.
City of Perrysburg officials told WTOL 11 they are grateful for the pool staff’s quick response and that Ethan is OK.
The Perrysburg Municipal Pool manager declined to comment about the incident.
