Jul 15, 2022

SW Kan. lifeguard hailed as a hero after saving young boy

Posted Jul 15, 2022 7:28 PM
Dakira Limon
Dakira Limon

Limon will attend Colby Community College

By MICHELE BOY
The Syracuse Journal

SYRACUSE — It was a dramatic few weeks and one of the bigger moments got missed. Dakira Limon is a lifeguard at the Hamilton County pool and a hero. 

An SHS graduate headed to Colby Community college for the animal science program. It is her fourth year as a lifeguard at the Hamilton County Swimming Pool. And on Monday, June 13, all her training kicked in.

As she was keeping watch in the deep end, she saw a young boy go off the diving board. But something was off. He began sinking toward the bottom. 

Dana Gould was on the scene that day and commented, “As a mother at the pool I’m always watching to see that the guards are doing a good job. Dakira was amazing. She fearlessly jumped in and pulled that boy up from the bottom of the deep end! I was so proud of her. She represented the guards so well. It’s such an important job and as a community we need to feel confident that the pool is taking their job seriously. I really appreciate the leadership and management of the pool this summer.”

She followed her training. 

She blew her whistle jumped in and saved the young boy.  Afterward she was emotional, worn  out from the high temperatures and the adrenaline rush. 

Dakira said, “After the adrenaline wore off, I was worried and scared, hoping he would be OK.”

EMS was on the scene.

David Stimatze, a 16 year veteran of EMS, “She did a great job. She did what they are trained to do.”

Mom, Carol Limon. said, “In my book she is a hero. She handled it like she was trained to. And if it was any other guard I would want them to have that recognition too.”

This didn’t slow Dakira down. She took a short break to gather herself and got back on the stand. “I love being with the community. And the people I work with!”

Republished with permission