'I Would Have Died If She Didn't Come': Quick Thinking Teen Saves Father Having Seizure In Pool
VENTNOR CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- Stunning and dramatic video shows a father having a seizure in his backyard pool and starting to go under. But his quick thinking teen daughter and her friend rush in to save his life.
Nick Merlino was cooling off Friday afternoon in his Ventnor backyard pool after a lengthy workout.
The father of two, with type 1 diabetes, was not wearing his blood sugar sensor and for the first time in his life he had a seizure, blacked out and went under.
Thousands Of Bicyclists Ride To Atlantic City For Annual Ben To The Shore Charity Bike Event
"It was weird. I remember I had my flip flops on and all. I remember coming out and stepping in the pool. That's it. That's all my memory tells me," he said.
His 15-year-old daughter Lauren and her friend Julia were home and noticed a problem.
"We saw him and he was just in the pool at first and we looked out again and it looked like he was seizing in the pool and then we just came down," Lauren said.
On their security footage, Lauren sees her father is unresponsive and pulls his head out the water, while Julia dials 911.
Nick's wife, Abra Merlino showed us her reaction when she pulled into her driveway and saw a police car, she sprinted through her front door and dove into the pool after she realized the sirens were coming to save her husband.
"It was very scary. I didn't know what happened prior to me seeing him like that," she said. "But he was breathing. His eyes were open but he was unresponsive."
Nick was pulled out and regained consciousness, unharmed, and his blood sugar levels restored.
"That right there was something to see. I watched all three cameras at the same time for perspective. It was a pretty amazing thing they did," Nick said.
"I mean I guess so. I just did what I had to do. What anyone else would have done," Lauren said.
'You're My Hero': Carson Wentz Shares Heartwarming Moment With Young Eagles Fan During Training Camp
A family's worst nightmare, turned into a happy ending by two young women.
"They were able to call. They were together. So Lauren can hold him up out of the water, and for Julia to make the phone call. Everything came together perfectly for him to be here today," Abra said.
"I said if she wasn't here in a minute I'm dead. You don't last long in the water in the heat. That's what I thought. I would have died if she didn't come," Nick said.
CBS3's Dan Koob reports.