Quick-thinking daughter, 10, saves dad's life after bloody mishap in raging river
Share this @internewscast.com

A brave daughter came to the rescue of her severely bleeding and paralyzed father just when he feared for his life following a bizarre diving mishap into a dangerous river in Louisiana, authorities reported.

The pair visited the Bogue Chitto River for a kayaking trip and to observe softshell turtle eggs near Bogalusa on the afternoon of June 18, when 46-year-old Michael Painter found himself in a life-threatening situation, he shared with The Post.

“Let me tell you something,” Painter expressed. “She saved my life. If she hadn’t done what she did, I wouldn’t be here today,” he said, praising his 10-year-old daughter during a Wednesday night conversation.


A father and daughter with a Father's Day cake.
Michael Painter, 46, said he would’ve died if his ten-year old daughter wouldn’t have come to his rescue after a freak diving accident. Facebook/Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office

Painter, an off-shore oil worker, explained that his daughter Carson loves to visit a spot on the river where softshell turtles lay their eggs. She had just convinced him to buy her a kayak so they paddled there together. 

It’s also a fun place to do front flips off the bluff, Painter said. 

“Well I being the 46 year old trying to be the cool daddy, I said ‘watch this!’ I took off down the hill and I’m fixing to do a front flip,” he said.

At the last second, he said, he lost his footing and drove his head straight into a pile of big, jagged rocks laying along the bottom of the river. 

Initially, Painter thought he was swimming to the surface.

The water was only a few feet above his head. He was confused. 

“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, man, and I’m drifting down the river. I can feel my heels dragging along the bottom.” 

That’s when he realized he was paralyzed. Painter had broken a vertebrae and bruised his spine.

 “I was helpless and hopeless,” he added.

The whole time Painter thought he was swimming his arms were just dangling uselessly by his side, he recalled.

“I can see the blood in the water all around me, man, but that’s the least of my worries. I’m thinking I’m paralyzed.”

At first Painter’s daughter Carson, 10, thought her dad was pretending –  but then she saw the blood. She raced to the river, tripped and fell. She collected herself and sprinted toward her dad. 

“I can’t hold my breath anymore. I’m fixing to die. This is it, you know, bruh,” Painter said, recounting his feeling of despair.

“I’m preparing for it. And it’s going to hurt.”

At the moment when he was about to surrender to his fate he felt his daughter’s hand.

“She grabbed my hand bro,” Painter said. “That was the biggest relief in my life, man.”

Carson positioned her dad’s limp head so that he could breathe as he dragged her to the sandbar. He’s a 6-foot, 200-pound man and she weights just 70 pounds.

“She dragged me as far as she could drag me,” he said.

Painter said Carson was crying and “squalling” so he calmed her down.

“I’m ok,” he reassured his daughter. “But I need you to do something,” he recalled telling her.

He gave her explicit instructions to paddle toward the car and grab his keys from his hat along the river.

Then, he told her, to get his cell phone from the car, find service and call for help.

“Man it was just hard to let my little girl go down that river by herself, you know what I’m saying? I’m risking her life to save mine,” Painter said.  “She was scared to death. It’s dangerous for a kid by herself.”

As long as he could hear the sound of her paddling he knew she was ok. But worry set in as soon as he couldn’t hear her anymore.

Moments later, a wicked thunderstorm broke out. Lightening streaked the sky. 

“It’s the damndest flood you’ve ever seen,” Painter said. “My head sticking out the water, sand slapping my face, hitting my eyes.”

An hour later, just as he was about to give up hope again, he heard the sound of a boat motor. 

Carson had made it to the car after all. The first thing she did was call 911, then all of Painter’s friends. They formed an informal rescue armada and headed for him. 

Paramedics arrived and got him back to the road. They had put his neck in a brace. He remembered how happy he was when he saw Carson poke over the top. His heart flooded with relief.

“Lord have mercy, man, it felt like an eternity since I had last seen her face,” he said. 

Painter, who has regained his ability to move, said the doctors told him he came as close to becoming permanently paralyzed as you can. He needs to do physical therapy to help with his recovery. 

This Saturday the sheriff’s office is holding a special ceremony for Carson at the local courthouse. She is receiving a citation for bravery.

“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.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Geoengineering Whistleblower Shanahan Reveals Truth

Shanahan, the Geoengineering Whistleblower, Unveils the Truth

Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.’s running mate, shares whistleblower details exposing ongoing U.S.…
Illegal immigrant convicted of shooting at small-town officer in high-speed chase

Undocumented Immigrant Found Guilty of Firing at Rural Police Officer During High-Speed Pursuit

A small-town traffic stop turned into a deadly confrontation when an illegal…
Bin strike war could cost Labour millions as loyal union threatens to withhold funding after suspending Angela Rayner

Garbage Strike Dispute May Cost Labour Party Millions as Key Union Warns of Potential Funding Withdrawal After Angela Rayner Suspension

MILLIONS of pounds in funding to Labour could be in jeopardy as…
Carsten and Vivian Spohr at the Cannes Film Festival.

Wife of Airline CEO Allegedly Hits and Kills Babysitter, 24, With Car Before Leaving Vacation Island

THE wife of a billionaire airline CEO ran down and killed a…
Texas Trump threat suspect arrested after allegedly writing 'I won’t miss' in social media post

Texas Resident Arrested for Alleged Social Media Threat, Declaring ‘I Won’t Miss’

A man from Texas was taken into custody on Thursday for allegedly…
Israel Gaza Concentration Camp: Haaretz Calls Out Rafah Camp

Haaretz Criticizes Rafah Camp in Gaza, Referring to It as a “Concentration Camp”

Israel’s defense minister is promoting a plan to herd Gaza’s entire population…
Ghislaine Maxwell follows prison fitness routine, video shows, as DOJ's Jeffrey Epstein memo draws heat

Ghislaine Maxwell Seen Adhering to Fitness Routine in Prison, Footage Shows, Amid Controversy Over DOJ’s Jeffrey Epstein Memo

July 2025 – Completion of Review Yields Limited Details The Justice Department…
Police investigating death of Maine paddleboarder as a homicide after discovery of body

Maine Paddleboarder’s Death Now Being Investigated as a Homicide After Body is Found

UNION, Maine — Police in Maine are investigating the death of a…
Video still of a protestor appearing to fire a gun at agents.

Stunning Incident: Protester Allegedly Shoots at Officer During California ICE Raid on Cannabis Farm; FBI Offers $50k Reward for Information

A MASKED protester opened fire on federal agents during a tense immigration…
Woman charged in St. Augustine stabbing due back in court after ruled competent

Woman Accused in St. Augustine Stabbing Scheduled to Return to Court Following Competency Ruling

Arieana Gibbs, aged 22, had previously been deemed unfit to stand trial…
Car crashed into a care home.

Elderly Women Lose Lives as BMW in Police Chase Crashes into Nursing Home; Two Men Detained

TWO women have died after a BMW which was being chased by…
Aftermath of a Russian missile strike in Lviv, Ukraine.

NATO Jets Mobilized as Putin Executes Major Assault on Ukraine with 700 Drones and Hypersonic Missile

NATO fighter jets were scrambled overnight after Russia launched one of the…