BRADENTON BEACH – For one family, the Labor Day holiday weekend ended with gratitude to an unknown rescuer after a 9-year-old girl was saved from drowning at Cortez Beach.
According to Bradenton Beach Police Officer Ryan Gagliano’s report, he was dispatched to lifeguard tower 3 at Cortez Beach on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 5:05 p.m. in reference to a near-drowning. According to his report, when Gagliano arrived on the scene, Beach Patrol was already accessing the victim, whose name is being withheld due to her age.
“Sandra Parizo, the victim’s aunt, was on the scene and stated the victim was in the water with her juvenile brother,” Gagliano said in his report. “Parizo stated the brother came out of the water and when asked where his sister was, he did not know.”
An unknown man had located the girl in the water and pulled her to shore before 911 was called, according to the report. Parizo said she did not know how long the girl had been in the water, but bystanders said they thought it was around two minutes. Gagliano said he observed the girl come and go out of consciousness while Beach Patrol and EMS were assisting her.
EMS called for a Bay Flight helicopter to come to a landing zone that police officers had cleared at the North Coquina Boat Ramp. The victim was transported to All Children’s Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition as of 10:40 p.m. that day.
On Sept. 7, Bradenton Beach Police Lt. Lenard Diaz said he was pleased to have gotten an update on the victim’s condition, and she was doing well and was expected to make a full recovery.
