An unselfish young man from the Mississippi Gulf Coast has been hailed as a hero. Even if he didn’t do it to attract attention, the events that followed are sure to have left our young hero in disbelief.
Capes are not required for all heroes. Ordinary folks who simply happen to have the right abilities and be at the right place at the right time are sometimes the ones who achieve extraordinary things.
The remarkable story of a Pascagoula adolescent who became an overnight online phenomenon is a fantastic illustration of this. The narrative starts with a strangely timed submersion of a car.
THE CAR CRASH
16-year-old Corion Evans and a buddy were awakened by the sound of a car driving into the Pascagoula River at 2 am on a Sunday.
It had three teenagers in it at the time. The one behind the wheels afterwards informed the investigators that she had been entirely focused on the GPS when they drove off the launch.
According to their investigation, authorities said it swam about 20 feet off shore before it began to sink. Evans commented to WLOX, “Their vehicle sailed clear into the water without pausing. Only a little portion of the vehicle remained above water.”
Corion Evans’ mom, Marquita speaking during an interview | Source: Youtube/23 ABC News
Evans reacted immediately to the situation. His shoes were removed, and he undressed down to the waist before jumping in. Karon’ KJ” Bradley, one of his pals, followed him and helped the females climb to the top of the car.
To save the ladies, Evans focused all of his attention and effort on doing just that. It was impossible for him to consider anything else, according to him.
View of the Pascagoula River | Source: Youtube/23 ABC News
MYSTERIOUSLY, HE SALVED TWO PEOPLE IN THE EVENT
After swimming since the age of three, Evans was perfectly prepared for Sunday morning’s competition. He described himself as “behind them attempting to keep them above water and swim with them at the same time.
Evans returned the ladies to the coast while his buddy KJ struggled to remove them off the top of the vehicle and onto the ground. A first responder arrived at some point.
Gary Mercer, a Moss Point police officer, had gone to aid. He was a kind guy. To his own relief, he dived into the water to aid.
As car sank, teen saved 3 girls and a police officer in river rescue https://t.co/0Ql62mqXRy
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 8, 2022
Trying to save someone in danger of drowning is a risky endeavour that may easily go wrong since people in this situation are typically in a state of fear as they battle for their lives.
After swimming into the water, Mercer drank more than he could handle in an attempt to save one of the girls from drowning. It left him unable to swim properly, and shortly after, he was drowning and pleading for rescue. Evans, a 16-year-old boy, heard his cries for aid and instantly swam back to rescue.
WLOX spoke to Evans, who said, “.”My back was turned. The police guy is right in front of me. He’s in a state of utter desperation. He’s drowning and yelling, ‘Help!’ as he goes under. Then, I made my way over there. Go and grab the cop and swim him back till you feel like you can walk again.” After the incident, they were all brought to the hospital and survived with minor injuries.
Pascagoula teen saves 3 girls, officer after vehicle sinks in river https://t.co/8tlzqeUp06
— WLOX (@WLOX) July 5, 2022
THE FINAL RESULTS
The Moss Point police department praised Evans for his excellent conduct. Brandon Ashley, the city’s police chief, praised Evans’s “bravery” and “selflessness.” Additionally, Ashley admitted that the children may have died if Evans had not intervened in the situation.
On the day of the tragedy, Cora Watson took to social media to express her gratitude to the man who saved her life “just before my final breath.”
When the girls were being rescued, Evans said they were vomiting up because they had taken in so much water. It meant Evans had to swim 25 yards while keeping them afloat to rescue the two of them.
He said, “.”Swimmer’s fatigue was high. After, my legs were sore to the bone. However, anything may have been in the water. But that wasn’t anything I was considering.”
On Tuesday of that week, Mayor Billy Knight and the Board of Aldermen presented Evans and Mercer with Certificates of Commendation during the city’s regular board meeting. She also rushed to social media to gushes about how proud she was of Evans. She wrote in a blog post:
“When I saw Corion, he wasn’t thinking about himself. I was pleased with him. He was making a concerted effort to remove everyone from the water. My heart goes out to him since he risked his own life to rescue others.”
Ashley DeFlanders, Evans’ buddy, also created an Evans GoFundMe in his honour. DeFlanders indicated that the money raised would be used to send Evans to college in the write-up accompanying the fundraising.
People didn’t require much persuasion in this case. GoFundMe’s objective was to raise $75,000, but as of this writing, it has raised more than $81,000.
CUSTOMER COMMENTS
Evans’ admiration from the public was palpable in the comments section. Here is a handful of them.
This young man is a hero and an inspiration to his generation of young people. He tossed his phone in the water and dived in to aid others; he didn’t pause to video the situation. This young guy is an inspiration to all of us! There is a (@Stephani) on Twitter. In 2022, July 9,
Saved four lives and didn’t even give a damn about his own! It’s time to give this young guy a full ride to college scholarship!! (@Swnsasy) After July 10, 2022
In the face of all of this, I wonder why he was not allowed to pursue a better future. This courageous young guy is indeed a one-of-a-kind individual! July 10, 2022: (@Betty Kyte).
