BOGALUSA, La. — A Louisiana father is alive today thanks to the courage and quick thinking of his 10-year-old daughter, who saved him after a freak diving accident left him paralyzed and bleeding in a treacherous river.
Michael Painter, 46, and his daughter Carson were enjoying a kayak trip along the Bogue Chitto River on June 18 when the day took a terrifying turn. Painter, an offshore oil worker, had just bought Carson a kayak so they could explore the area and look for softshell turtle eggs — one of her favorite activities.
The trip took a dangerous turn when Painter, trying to impress his daughter with a front flip off a nearby bluff, lost his footing and plunged headfirst into a pile of jagged rocks hidden beneath the river’s surface.
“I can see the surface of the water and it’s not even a foot away, but I’ll tell you, it might as well had been 100 miles away,” Painter recalled, describing the helplessness he felt after realizing he was paralyzed.
Bleeding and unable to move his limbs, Painter believed his time had come — until he felt his daughter’s small hand grab his.
“She grabbed my hand, bro,” Painter said. “That was the biggest relief in my life, man.”
Despite weighing just 70 pounds, Carson managed to reposition her 6-foot, 200-pound father so he could breathe and dragged him as far as she could toward the safety of a sandbar. Following her father’s instructions, Carson then paddled down the river alone to get help — a dangerous task for anyone, let alone a 10-year-old child.
“I’m risking her life to save mine,” Painter said, fighting back emotion. “She was scared to death.”
As Painter lay helpless in the river, a violent thunderstorm rolled in, pelting him with sand and debris. But an hour later, his despair turned to hope when he heard the sound of a boat motor — Carson had made it to their car, called 911, and rallied friends to rescue him.
Paramedics arrived and stabilized Painter, who was later told by doctors that he was mere inches from permanent paralysis. Thanks to Carson’s actions, he has regained movement but faces ongoing physical therapy.
This Saturday, the local sheriff’s office will honor Carson’s bravery with a special ceremony at the courthouse, where she will receive an official citation for her heroic actions.
“For her to feel special about what she did, it warms her heart,” Painter said. “It brings me to tears to see how she lights up. She did a grown person job, man.”
Authorities say Carson’s quick thinking and determination saved her father’s life — making her not only a hero in her family’s eyes, but in the entire community.
