18-Year-Old Hero Drowns After Saving Three Young Children From Dangerous Waters Near Dam

Oct 01, 2020 by apost team

In Bagley, Minnesota, an 18-year-old girl was hailed as a hero for rescuing her cousins from drowning. Raina Neeland was spending the day with her family at a dam in August 2020 when they realized that the calm waters had dangerous currents underneath. Raina managed to save everyone from danger but tragically passed away afterwards.  

In many ways, Raina Lynn Neeland was a typical 18-year-old girl. She watched over her younger siblings and cousins and enjoyed doing things with them. She lived in Bagley, Minnesota, which is part of Clearwater County, reports CBS Minnesota.

No one had suspected anything amiss with the water when they were at the dam. It was a local spot that many frequented during the summer, and while there had been close calls before, no one had died at the spot, reports Inside Edition. 

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Heavy rainfall in the area had caused the water levels to be higher than usual and the currents were very strong underneath. All of these conditions caused the water to churn near the dam, reports CBS Minnesota. The family did not realize how dangerous the situation would become. 

Three of Raina's cousins were quite young, aged six, eight, and ten. It wasn't long after the swimming started that the three youngest cousins found themselves in a perilous situation. The raging water currents had caught hold of them and the young children started tumbling in the dam water.

These were conditions that are alarming for even the strongest of swimmers, let alone three young children. As she watched the water engulf her young cousins, Raina was faced with a choice. Would she call for help and pray that her cousins would be okay? Or would she jump in after them and try to save them? Raina made the decision to jump in after them.

The waters were rough and fierce, but Raina managed to fight through the conditions and get to her cousins. Her brother came nearby and Raina threw her cousins out of harm's way to him. He caught them and took them out of the water, reports Inside Edition.

The young woman's eight-year-old cousin was unresponsive when he was first taken out of the water, but bystanders were able to successfully perform CPR and resuscitate him, reports CBS Minnesota. Raina was able to save all her cousins.

Unfortunately, this selfless act of heroism involved Raina sacrificing her own life to save them. She couldn't escape the turbulent waters and drowned. Her brother managed to pull her from the water and CPR was performed, but she was not able to be successfully resuscitated after ten minutes in the water, according to Inside Edition.

Lenora Freeland, Raina's grandmother, stated that Raina was passionate about helping and protecting others and that she wanted to go into law enforcement one day. It seems this young hero was able to show her commitment to that passion in this selfless act.

Raina's story shows how even the youngest among us can be heroes. It also shows that the power of love can transcend even our concern for our own well-being.

What are your thoughts on this young hero? Could you have done what she did? Show this story to all the people you love in your life and let us know your thoughts on the heroism of Raina Lynn Neeland.