Omroep Flevoland – News – Myrthe (11) jumped into the water and saved a toddler

By reacting very quickly, sisters Linde (8) and Myrthe (11) from the Kruidenwijk in Almere saved their 4-year-old neighbor Aiden last Tuesday. The toddler had ridden his step bike into the water of the Koning Willem-Alexanderwetering. Myrthe immediately jumped into the water and saved the little one from the water.

Linde was fishing when the accident happened. Aiden was very curious and came closer on his scooter bike. Linde stood at the bottom of the bank. “He suddenly went down very hard,” Linde saw happen. The boy could no longer stop because the bank was much too steep for him. “He just fell flat on his face,” Linde says.

With clothes still on
Myrthe was nearby and did not see it happen. She did hear from her sister that something was going on. She immediately went to check it out. When Myrthe saw the toddler lying in the water, she jumped into the water with all her clothes still on. “I didn’t feel like I went into the water right away,” says Myrthe. Yet she did not hesitate, her sister and mother say.

Too deep to stand
“He couldn’t swim,” Myrthe says. That’s why she decided to get Aiden out of the water. “Otherwise he might die.” According to the ladies, the water is not very deep. Yet the toddler drifted to a place where they too could no longer stand. “Luckily I didn’t have to go very far,” says Myrthe. She brought Aiden to the side.

Come along now
In the meantime, Linde had run home. That was just a small part. She saw her mother standing in the room. “Stop everything now, you have to come along right away,” is what Linde said to her. When the mother stood by the water, the little boy was back on dry land. “Luckily it’s not that heavy,” says Myrthe.

The sisters brought Aiden home with their mother. They know the boy well, because they see each other almost every day when they play outside. The toddler’s mother was shocked. Aiden has learned his lesson. He no longer dares to come close to the banks of the Koning Willem-Alexanderwetering on his own.