PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – January 19, 12-year-old Jackson Herrmann and his 16-year-old cousin were playing on a pond in Hurt that had frozen over, despite his mom’s orders.
“I’d caught the boys on the pond earlier in the day and I told them that it wasn’t safe and to stay off the pond,” said Melissa Herrmann, Jackson Herrmann’s mom.
Within 15 minutes of playing on what they thought was frozen solid ice, Jackson’s cousin fell through into the freezing water. Knowing his cousin couldn’t swim, Jackson ran over to help him.
“There’s was no way I was going to pull him out,” Jackson Herrmann, Pittsylvania County resident. “So, we both fell in about the same time. It was less than like 30 seconds before I was in with him.”
After falling in and struggling to get back out, Jackson thought about his phone in his back pocket. Although it didn’t have any service and was underwater, it still allowed him to call 911.
The boys held on to fragile ice for about 10 minutes until the fire and rescue crews arrived to pull them out of the pond.
“I couldn’t feel anything from my neck down. I barely could walk. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger I guess,” added Herrmann.
Now, all that’s left on the pond is a pickax and Jackson’s headphones.
“It could have been a whole lot different if he hadn’t have thought about that phone and that phone had not worked. It was the difference between life and death because I would have probably been pulling bodies out the water. So, I’m very thankful,” said Melissa Herrmann.
Jackson’s mom grew up near the pond and she says this is the first time she’s ever seen it completely frozen over.
“Parents talk to your kids, because, in Virginia, very seldom do we have enough cold like we’ve had here recently for anything to really freeze over enough. This is not Minnesota. It’s not Alaska. We don’t get to do ice skating on our ponds. Other than that, it’ll be turning into a rescue mission,” explained Melissa Herrmann.
Both boys are okay and say it will be the first and last time they’ll ever play on a frozen pond.
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