On Monday, a Sebastian woman lost control of her vehicle on Schumann, causing her vehicle to drive into a pond. All occupants made it out of the car without injury.
The vehicle was occupied by four people, including a mother and her three children, ages 9, 5, and 1.
Justin Grayam, the father, said he received a call from Deann Pyke, his fiance, about the accident.
“I received a phone call that was very distorted from my fiancé. All I got was she wrecked the car in a lake. The kids are with her, and she needs help. I was over an hour and a half away. I immediately hung up and called 911. She had our three small children in the car, two of which were strapped in car seats,” Grayam told Sebastian Daily.
With the vehicle in the water, the mother freed her 1-year-old while her son, 9-year-old Gage Kepley, freed his 5-year-old sibling.
A bystander named Andrew Muehlberger also jumped in the water and helped with the rescue.
“My nine-year-old stepson was able to free my five-year-old, and my fiancé was able to free my one-year-old. With the help of people driving by that did not think twice to jump in, pulled them to safety, and everyone survived,” Grayam added.
Grayam said that his son Kepley was brave during the accident, and things could’ve been a lot different without the help from everyone who stopped.
He credits Kepley’s quick thinking to open the car door and unbuckle his sibling and feels fortunate that his son and bystanders helped save the children.
Gage Kepley is in the 3rd Grade at Pelican Elementary in Sebastian.
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