Madison Jennings pulled unconscious cousin from pool and saved his life after near-drowning

Mackay girl Madison Jennings, 11, became an overnight hero after pulling her drowning cousin from the family pool. Listen to the incredible triple-0 call here.

Madison Jennings accepted her certificate of appreciation at Mackay South Ambulance station after rescuing her cousin from drowning. Picture: Lillian Watkins

It is a terrifying situation for any parent to find themselves in, where mere seconds can seem like a lifetime.

With each second ticking by, the chance of survival grows slimmer and slimmer, but the actions of an 11 year old has saved the life of her cousin.

Madison Jennings noticed her cousin floating, face down in the water of her family’s pool, and dragged the child to the edge.

Madison Jennings accepted her certificate of appreciation at Mackay South Ambulance station after rescuing her cousin from drowning. Picture: Lillian Watkins

Madison said she did not know what to do to help, instead acting on instincts.

“I didn’t know he was in the pool … he was unconscious and he was very blue,” she said.

“It was very scary, but it makes me feel happy he’s still here today.”

In triple-0 audio of the ordeal, as the child cries in the background, Madison’s mum Tinneile Jennings can be heard describing the young boy’s condition, as a call taker walks her through what to do next.

The audio lasts fewer than two minutes, but paints a harrowing picture of the scene.

Tinneile: “He’s crying. He’s starting to stabilise now.”

Call taker: “You can roll up a towel now, but if we need to go back to CPR like you did before, you will need to remove it. You can roll a towel up under his head to keep him comfortable now.”

Tinneile: “He’s got colour back in his cheeks and his lips are back to a pink colour.”

Call taker: “Great, sounds like you did a really good job on the CPR. Did he have a fair amount of water come out?”

Tinneile: “A lot of water.”

Call taker: “Was he vomiting and coughing? Or just vomiting?”

Tinneile: “Just vomiting. He’s going in and out of really lethargic consciousness. He’s just lost consciousness again.

Call taker: “Have him on his side, make sure his head is tilted back toward the ground. We want to make sure all fluids drain out of him.

Tinneile: “He’s back again.

Call taker: “How long was he under?

Tinneile: “We don’t know. The kids pulled him out, he was floating and she pulled him out. She did a very good job.

Call taker: “Tell her she did a great job.

Tinneile: “You did an amazing thing okay. We were probably like 10 seconds away by the time we got through the pool gate.”

Madison Jennings accepted her certificate of appreciation at Mackay South Ambulance station with her eldest brother Dustin, youngest brother Ashton and mother and father Troy and Tinneile Jennings. Picture: Lillian Watkins

Mrs Jennings said there was no way to describe how proud of Madison she was.

“I didn’t know Madison was the one to pull him out of the water,” she said.

Madison Jennings with her mother Tinneile embracing after Madison accepted her certificate of appreciation at Mackay South Ambulance station after rescuing her cousin from drowning. Picture: Lillian Watkins

“You can say to your kids a million times that you’re proud of them when they get good grades or play an awesome game of sport.

“What do you actually say, what word actually describes the emotion and the pride that goes through your mind and heart when they do something so incredibly brave and selfless.

Madison Jennings with QAS Central Region Assistant Commissioner Robbie Medlin. Picture: Lillian Watkins

“There’s no word, there’s no feeling, you can’t possibly describe the emotion.”

Queensland Ambulance Service Central Region Assistant Commissioner Robbie Medlin awarded Madison with a certificate of appreciation for her lifesaving efforts.

Madison Jennings accepted her certificate of appreciation at Mackay South Ambulance station after rescuing her cousin from drowning. Picture: Lillian Watkins

Mr Medlin said he hoped to see Madison in a paramedics uniform one day.

“She’s got all the traits of an up-and-coming paramedic, someone who’s cool, calm, collected and humble; what more could we want,” he said.

Madison Jennings with her mother Tinneile embracing after Madison accepted her certificate of appreciation at Mackay South Ambulance station after rescuing her cousin from drowning. Picture: Lillian Watkins

“It’s absolutely incredible, this little lady jumped in and just performed magic.

“It’s those moments that save lives.”