PENDLETON — A New Castle man's instinct may have been what saved a young boy's life after nearly drowning at Falls Creek Park in Pendleton.
"All I did is jump straight in after him, I didn't really think twice about it to be honest with you, " Logan Norrod said.
Logan, an off-duty Pendleton correctional officer, said he was enjoying a day at the park with his wife when things drastically changed.
"I stood up, turned around, looked and he was underneath the bridge," Logan said. By the time I reached out to him to yell at him to stand up, he was like I can't stand up."
He said a boy, that couldn't be older than 10 years old, lost his footing while playing in the creek just before the fall.
"He was flailing his arms and yelling and it sucked him all the way back under," Logan said. "I didn't really think he was going to come up."
The man said he sprung into action. Without hesitating to act, he jumped into the water.
"I went under the water and picked him up around his waist and kind of held him up above the water and I swam kind of underneath the water," Logan said.
His wife, Emily Norrod, said she didn't know what to do. But added, it's very like her husband to put others before himself.
"I started to say like 'babe go', and he was already in. Like already mid-jump," Emily said.
Logan is being hailed a hero after saving the boy. He said he would do it again without hesitation.
"It's not that big of a deal to me really," Logan said. "I mean it is, but it isn't. I would do it again. It's not a one-time thing, I try to help people the best I can throughout life anyways."
The family has a message for people who plan on going near the water.
"Water is dangerous," Emily said. "You don't know how strong it is. Just keep an eye out — even if they're not your kid — try to stay close to any kid."
The couple said they believe there should be more signage posted at the falls, near the water.
The falls park director said they have signage.
On Saturday, April 23, a young boy who was visiting the park with his family got caught in the current while wading in the shallows above the falls and was swept over the falls. Thankfully another visitor was watching the events unfold and took quick action to get the boy out of the water. While we do our best to ensure the safety of all visitors, including signage warning of dangers and a town ordinance that prohibits visitors from entering the water between the falls and the low head dam, we also have to rely on visitors to take necessary precautions while visiting the park. There is currently signage on the foot bridge that crosses the falls from the Museum. We are in the process of replacing signage along the railing that is behind the Historical Museum, the previous sign was heavily vandalized, which is the reason it is not currently in place. As Chief Farrer noted in the article published in the Herald, situations such as what happened Saturday are rare in our park. The best way for people to stay safe is to avoid the creek near the falls area. We do have an entry point to the creek up stream at a trail head that provides a much safer place for families wanting to play in the creek.
The Norrods did call the police after the incident because they said they were calling for the boy's parents but they couldn't be found.
Efforts to reach local police were unanswered.
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