Lykesia Lilly helped to save Adrian A. Clark from drowning, Burnsville, North Carolina, May 6, 2007. Adrian, 6, called for help as he clung to the side of an abandoned well, at a point about 15 feet into the well. Water filled the 50-foot shaft to that point. His aunt, Lilly, 18, high school student, and other family members gathered at the well and lowered one end of an electrical cord to Adrian, but he did not release his hold on the wall of the well. Lilly then entered the well feet first through the 14-inch opening in its concrete cover. Holding to the sides of the well by her feet and hands, she lowered herself toward Adrian and then dropped into the water. Surfacing, she tied the cord around Adrian’s waist. Adrian was pulled from the well by those at the surface. Lilly then climbed toward the top of the well and was aided from it. She and Adrian were taken to the hospital, where Lilly was treated for lacerations to a wrist and an elbow. Adrian was not injured.
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80477-9174