A mother in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, is grateful to her 11-year-old neighbor, who saved her five-year-old son’s life on Friday.
Kathleen Freeman was outside with her son, Jack Buss, while he was playing when she heard a loud noise and another sound no mother ever wants to hear, Local 12 reported on Sunday.
“I heard a scream that I’ve never heard before from my son,” she recalled. Moments later, she realized her child had stepped on the cover of a well that is between her home and their neighbor’s house and fallen nearly 20 feet down.
The boy was standing on a piece of concrete and grasping a pole, but there was no way for him to escape unless someone helped him do so. Freeman instantly began screaming and an unlikely heroine answered the call.
Eleven-year-old Juliana Fischer ran toward the distraught mother from across the street while dialing 911. When she spotted a ladder, Fischer put it in the deep hole and her father helped her steady it so the little boy could climb out.
Images show the rescuer, the little boy, and the well he fell into:
Other than a few scratches and bruises Buss was unharmed, and after an evaluation at a local hospital was pronounced fine. Video footage shows the little boy enjoying playing outside after his ordeal.
When speaking of her son and his rescuer, a relieved Freeman said, “He was really brave, and I’m so thankful for Juliana. It was a very good feeling when he got out of the well.”
The well has since been covered with a metal plate and bricks, an image shows.
Now that she is being called a hero, Fischer said simply, “Anyone would have done the same thing.” She added that it was a huge relief when the child was able to get out of the deep hole.
