Teen Brothers Maddox and Grant Larger Pulled a Grandmother and Two Small Children From a Carmel Pond, Then Got the Toddler in a Sunken Stroller Breathing Again

The Carmel City Council will recognize brothers Maddox and Grant Larger at its meeting on Monday, Nov. 16, for what happened at a retention pond on the morning of Oct. 12. Maddox is 15 and Grant is 14, and the City of Carmel said their quick actions likely saved the life of a 2-year-old boy.

The brothers pulled a grandmother and a 4-year-old out of the water, then Maddox pulled out the stroller where the toddler was still buckled. He got the child breathing again before emergency crews arrived.

A stroller, a grandmother and a child on her back

Carmel Fire and Carmel Police were dispatched at about 11:15 a.m. that Monday to reports of two children submerged in a retention pond, according to the city. By the time responders arrived, the children were already out of the water with the brothers.

The grandmother had been struggling in the pond after the stroller carrying her 2-year-old grandson partly sank. The 4-year-old was strapped to her back. Neither the grandmother nor the 4-year-old could swim, according to the city and WRTV.

WRTV reported that Maddox, a swimmer with the Carmel Swim Club, jumped in, and that the brothers worked together to bring the grandmother and the 4-year-old to dry land. Grant called 911.

Getting the toddler breathing again

The 2-year-old was still in the stroller. The city said Maddox pulled it from the water, unbuckled the boy and gave him back slaps until he started breathing. WRTV added that Maddox tilted the child to drain water before patting his back, and the toddler coughed up water and began to breathe.

Sunny Skyz reported that the brothers were near the pond when they heard a splash, and quoted Maddox as saying the boy coughed up water and could breathe again. It said the brothers stayed with the family until first responders took over.

When first responders evaluated the children, both were conscious and crying. The reports do not say whether the grandmother or either child needed further medical care, and none of them describes the grandmother’s condition afterward.

A release from state lawmakers, published by EIN Presswire for the Indiana House Republican Caucus, described the final step as CPR until the child resumed breathing. The city and WRTV describe back slaps and patting, so the exact technique differs by account.

What officials said about the brothers

Sgt. Matt Keinsley, named in the city’s announcement, said, “The immediate actions taken by Maddox and Grant demonstrated remarkable courage and quick thinking under pressure.” In the Country Herald’s report, he was also quoted saying, “Their heroic efforts made the difference between a tragedy and a miraculous outcome.”

Carmel Fire Public Information Officer Tim Griffin told WRTV the brothers showed that heroism does not require a uniform or a badge. Carmel public safety officials said the teens’ actions undoubtedly saved the toddler’s life.

Distinguished Hoosier Awards at school

The city council will not be the first to honor the pair. On Monday, Oct. 19, State Rep. Danny Lopez, a Republican from Carmel, presented the brothers with Distinguished Hoosier Awards, joined by State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, a Democrat from Fishers, according to The Reporter.

Maddox, a freshman at Carmel High School, and Grant, an eighth grader at Clay Middle School, each received the award at their schools. Lopez said Carmel is fortunate to have young people like them, and that their courage and quick thinking helped save lives.

How quickly a small child can go under

The rescue happened in an ordinary neighborhood retention pond. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drowning causes more deaths than any other cause for children ages 1 to 4, and is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for ages 5 to 14. About 40 percent of drownings in that older group occur in natural water, according to the CDC’s drowning facts. The agency also says that for every child under 18 who dies by drowning, about seven receive emergency care for a nonfatal drowning.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says on HealthyChildren.org that young children can drown in as little as an inch or two of water, and that it can happen quickly and silently. The group recommends constant touch supervision of toddlers near water, avoiding distractions such as phones, and teaching parents, caregivers and older children CPR and safe rescue techniques. It also recommends swim lessons for children and parents, which can start after a child’s first birthday depending on readiness.

The Academy adds that children should wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket near lakes and rivers, and that children with weak swimming skills should wear one at pools and water parks. Floaties, water wings and inflatable toys do not prevent drowning and should not be used as substitutes, it says. With a stroller sinking and a 4-year-old strapped to the grandmother’s back, the guidance underlines how little time there is to react.

Other rescues involving kids have drawn attention recently. Parent Diaries covered a 5-year-old who ran down a gravel road for help when his grandmother collapsed, and a ninth grader who saved his twin brother when he choked in the cafeteria.

For the Larger brothers, the next stop is the council chamber on Nov. 16, where the city plans to publicly thank two teenagers who happened to be near the pond on a Monday morning.

Get stories like this by email. Sign up for The Parent Diaries Letter.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Jakub Hałun – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons