The city of Kent recognized Lake Meridian Park lifeguards Hunter Wruth, Shawn Wruth and Genevieve Tipton at the Sept. 19 City Council meeting for their efforts to help save the life of a 15-year-old boy from a near drowning June 30 while swimming at the beach.
“It was the fast-acting leadership of our beach manager Shawn Wruth and his lifeguarding team along with several members of the community that gave a young near-drowning victim an opportunity to live to see another day,” said Parks Director Julie Parascondola.
Other lifeguards who responded to the incident included Cole Hendricks, Tyson Wenger, Jordan Wachter, Dimitri Maricich, Bailey Ramsdell, Paul Delaurenti and Alex Smith. They had returned to college and could not be present at the council meeting. Oleg Bobko, a citizen who was at the beach that day, assisted the lifeguards in saving the boy.
“It’s amazing when you save somebody’s life like that,” Councilman Les Thomas said. “You guys are all heroes in my heart.”
Thomas is a friend of the boy’s family and said the teen is getting better everyday. The boy could not walk or talk initially, but now is walking and can say a few words.
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