Lake Mead

 

 

 

 

My grandparents have lived in Boulder City, Nevada my whole life. They are about 15 minutes or less away from Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. While I was growing up we used to go to the lake to feed the fish. It was always my favorite thing to do there. When I was 14 or 15 we went on Thanksgiving day and my cousin (pictured with her daughter above) fell in. She was trying to feed a duck and leaned out a little too far. That was the last time she had visited the lake until this last week.

Those who have never been the Lake Mead may not know but there are TONS of carp there. You throw anything in the water that floats and there is a swarm of fish trying to eat it. We usually feed them popcorn. Grandma popped up a large bag for us. So we fed the fish. the whole time I was worried about Gabe falling in the water.

When the popcorn was gone we sat down in the little patio area to talk. Lydia was on my back in the backpack and Gabe was standing by the white fence looking down at the fish. I kept a close eye on him and told him to be careful. I watched him looking down and the fish in between the fence and the sign in the picture. I told him not to get his head stuck.

The next thing that I knew he was talking. I couldnt quite hear him and went over to investigate. Sure enough he was stuck. I went over to free him thinking it would be no big deal...Right?

















WRONG

















I tried for a few minutes to get him out and no matter what I did his head was not coming out. There was a man right next to us who asked if he was stuck (at this point Gabe was screaming and crying, freaking out) the man tried to free him with no luck. Well all the screaming alerted another group of men behind us one of them was a parks worker at Lake Mead. They all came over and tried together to free the screaming child. They pushed on the fence and pulled on his head trying to turn it at every angle without any luck. His head was just too big for the space. Someone suggested taking off the sign in hopes that the few extra millimeters would be enough to free Gabe. No luck. Then there was a bumper on the other side of the fence that they thought if removed might have a wider space further down where he could pull his head out. Nope. It got narrower further down.

At this point I was thinking maybe we need to call 911 and have them get the jaws of life or something to get his head out. All of the worst case scenarios running through my head.

Finally a man who works for the park comes over with a five or six feet long crowbar. They were able to pry the space open just enough to free Gabe. Everyone cheered. Gabe didn't look at anyone and ran straight to me and wrapped his arms and legs around me so glad to finally be free. One of the parks people brought him a tootsie pop and we all left happy and relieved.

P.S. I know that the pictures aren't the best but you get the idea right? His head was stuck between the blue fence with the sign on it and the white fence.