Ethan and Ryan had gone to the Snake River across the road from our home in Heyburn to swim early one evening. They were around fourteen and twelve years old. A group of men who were boating and water skiing, thought it would be entertaining to swing past the two boys in shallow water, deliberately throwing sprays of water on them.

After several passes, each time coming increasingly closer, what had originally been annoying fun in their minds, suddenly turned dangerous! As they came by an additional time, both Ethan and Ryan realized they were about to be hit by the boat or the skier! Ethan, attempting to avoid being hit, dove under the rope connecting the skier to the boat. When he came to the surface, he found himself alone, unable to see Ryan. The boat and skier had stopped a short distance away, with the skier loudly and profanely complaining that he had hurt his foot.

Ethan, concerned as to where Ryan was, stood on the bank, looking around, and then assumed Ryan had run up to the house, hurried there to check on him. He nonchalantly asked his mom, not wanting to alarm her, and learning Ryan wasn’t there, ran back to the river. The boat was still there and to appear unperturbed by their actions, Ethan stood for a time on the shore watching them. After a while he walked into the water up to above his knees when he felt Ryan’s unconscious and submerged body, with his foot. He quickly and frantically pulled Ryan from the river to the shore, screaming for help from the boaters, as he tried unsuccessfully to revive him. The boaters never responded to his screams, but the screams alerted our neighbors, Art and Sharon Rathe, who were thankfully in their yard nearby, and who hurried to the river. Family members were also alerted and hurried to help. Sharon Rathe, seeing the boaters were now attempting to sneak away, shouted and demanded that they stay. Ethan was horrified with the thought that Ryan must be dead after such a long time under the water.

At his point in the story, Ryan explains his experience. “I remember the skier and boat coming toward us and seeing Ethan dive under the rope. I have no memory of any impact, but a peaceful feeling of floating and seeing a pink color. I woke up feeling twigs and sticks against my skin from the ground I was lying on, and vomiting. I knew I had been alone, but that Art and Dad were there asking me questions. I felt I was disappointing them by not knowing the right answers. Someone said I needed to be taken to the emergency room at the hospital, and then recall lying on the back seat of our green and white Ford. My folks said I kept repeatedly asking them what time and day it was. Then I could see ceiling lights while being wheeled on a gurney down a hall. I was diagnosed with a concussion and released, but for several days I couldn’t eat much, but had a lot of popsicles, which mostly I threw up. I had headaches for a long time.”

Ethan says somebody, maybe a police officer, interviewed him and others on the riverbank, while Ryan was being taken to the hospital by his parents. It was also amazing that Ethan, being nearly hit by the boat or skier, avoided serious injury.

Whoever was found to be at fault, had to pay the hospital bills. We don’t know whether Ryan was struck by the ski or by the skier’s foot, as he had complained about his foot hurting him. It is a real miracle for which we are very grateful, that Ryan who had been submerged for about ten minutes, and only found when Ethan stepped onto him in the river, lived through this terrifying experience!