6-year-old twins rescue drowning toddler from hotel pool while on vacation
A toddler may have drowned in a Florida hotel pool if it weren’t for a pair of valiant 6-year-old twins, who rescued her in the nick of time.
Peyton and Bryant Switzer, 6, were swimming at the Orlando hotel over the weekend when they spotted a young girl running toward the deep end of the swimming pool.
"She jumped in," Peyton told InsideEdition.com, adding that he and his brother saw her splashing and struggling in the water.
Immediately, Peyton’s instincts kicked in. Because he was closest to her, he reached over and helped pull her to the surface. He then brought her toward his brother Bryant, who was near a ladder and able to hoist her out of the pool.
“I just wanted to save her and I didn’t even think what to do," Peyton said. "I just did it on my own, because she was drowning, and her mom was afraid that she was going to die."
His stepdad, DJ Dieter, later discovered the mother of the young girl, who looked about 3 years old, was packing up floatation devices and turned away for a moment when her daughter slipped away, he told InsideEdition.com.
"They were overcome with anxiety, fear, gratitude and all of those emotions," Dieter said. “The little girl was kind of scared and she was crying at first but she was just so glad we were all there to help her.”
The twins' mom, Amy Walters, added, “It just goes to show how quickly something like this can happen.”
Walters explained she and Dieter had been traveling to Orlando from their home in Bowling Green, Ohio. They checked into the hotel a day early so the twins could enjoy more time at the pool.
Walters said it was important for their family that the boys learned to swim at an early age because many family members have pools at their home.
“We have always wanted to make certain that they did know how to swim well enough that they could save themselves, or help save someone else," she said.
Peyton and Bryant have since been acknowledged by Ohio state representatives for their heroism.
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