PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla.— An off-duty paramedic at Sunstar Paramedics helped save the life of a little girl in Indian Rocks Beach.
Josh Hoover was enjoying his day off -- at his niece's birthday part -- Saturday at Splash Harbour Water Park when he heard a commotion and ran to help.
A lifeguard was giving a child CPR. She didn't have a pulse.
The two worked together until she started breathing.
Three minutes later, Doug Higley arrived from Pinellas Fire and Rescue.
They took the girl to the Sunstar ambulance and transported her to All Children's Hospital.
Being a parent himself, Doug stayed with the girl, comforting her.
"She was crying for her mom. Very nervous and upset obviously with the unknown situation. I tried to comfort her as best I could,” Doug said with a smile. “I asked her about what Disney princesses and who she liked and if she had a favorite.”
Hoover said that's just what first responders do.
"You know the picture of Doug actually sitting there looking and attending to the child, while the parents were still trying to arrive at the hospital...it’s what we do, it’s who we are," Hoover said. "It was a very tender moment, and it was very cool to see that because that really does depict the heart of a paramedic or an EMT."
