Boy, 10, dies while saving sister, 6, who fell into 'dangerous' pond
A 10-year-old boy has died while trying to save his sister, 6, who fell into an icy pond.
Benjamin Luckett was with his brother and sister, Abigail, when she slipped into the water near Millington, just outside of Memphis in the US state of Tennessee, on Sunday morning (local time), the Jackson Sun reported.
The 10-year-old jumped in after his sister as the third sibling went to raise the alarm with their parents.
Benjamin's father Robert was able to pull Abigail from the water, but he was unable to retrieve his son.
Emergency services, including Shelby County Sheriff deputies and firefighters, were called to the family home about 11am and a water rescue boat with two firefighters on it recovered the boy's body.
The children's mother Christine made the call to 911, Leawood East Baptist Church interim pastor Stacy Stilgenbauer told the publication.
The two siblings were taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, where the boy was declared dead, NBC reported.
As of Monday, Abigail was still in on a ventilator, according to US news outlet Local ABC 24, while the Jackson Sun reported she remained in a critical condition on Tuesday.
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Dr Stilgenbauer said the family was "very sweet" and "loving" and described Benjamin's efforts to save his sister.
"The girl fell in. The 10-year-old brother jumped in. There was another brother there who ran back to the house," he told Local ABC 24.
Police describe incident as 'tragic'
Shelby County Fire Department's public information officer, Brent Perkins, said the incident was "tragic".
"Our hearts go out to that family," he told the news outlet.
Here's our latest update on the developing Winter Storm poised to affect the Mid-South late tonight through Thursday. #tnwx #arwx #mswx #mowx https://t.co/MSenhaqG1R
— NWS Memphis (@NWSMemphis) February 16, 2021
Mr Perkins said this should serve as a reminder to people how dangerous these conditions can be.
"If you find yourself near a body of water a lot of people are inclined to put their foot on it, give it a test to see if it's slippery, to give it a slide, have a little fun," he said.
"All of sudden in a moment, it's turned into a life-threatening situation, very dangerous, just stay away from it all."
At the time of writing, the National Weather Service Memphis had issued a winter storm advisory for the majority of the mid-south.
The "very cold temperatures and heavy snow" being seen at this time of the year were rare, Mr Perkins told the Jackson Sun.
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