17-Year-Old Dies After Rescuing Mother And Son From Drowning In Ocean

Oct 06, 2019 by apost team

In the waters just off of Miami's Virginia Key Beach, a 25-year-old mother and her 9-year-old son were being pushed dangerously far from shore thanks to a strong rip current.

That's when 17-year-old Cristian Burgos rushed out there to save them. Sadly, this young hero's life would tragically end within days.

According to WSVN, Burgos got the young boy out of the rip current before rushing back into the waves, desperate to save the woman too and was successful in doing so. However, that's when he started not being able to handle the current himself.

At that point, several onlookers jumped into the water, eager to save the one who had already sacrificed so much, and they were able to get him to shore and off to Jackson Memorial Hospital. He was in critical condition when he arrived and died two days later.

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His girlfriend, Mayte Padilla, gave an emotional interview with WSVN in which, with tears in her eyes, she said, "He's an amazing person. What he did, I'm so proud of him." Katherin Zamora, one of his cousins, said,  "I'm not surprised at all that he did that because he's that kind of person."

Several of his classmates at Miami's Booker T. Washington High School also voiced appreciation for what he did and brought heartfelt homemade banners to the hospital while he fought for his life. Its principal, William Aristide, said that there is "no other better way to describe him other than the word, 'hero.'"

Elvia Venegas, the woman he saved, told WFOR,

"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be alive right now. I am just eternally grateful at this moment."

Have you ever witnessed a moment of heroism like this? Let us know in the comments - and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family.