Parents of Miramar toddler Helena Brochey thanked first responders Wednesday for saving their daughter's life.
Wendy Matos says she had lost sight of her 21-month-old daughter, and when she went looking for her, she found her floating face-down in the deep end of the pool.
"It was almost like a trance. You don't really believe what you're seeing. But you just go on autopilot, you just go in the water, get her out. My niece jumped in," said Matos.
Once Helena was out of the water, Matos performed CPR while her niece called 911.
"She's only here because of that quick response, because there was such a flawless system in place that ensured that the right people were doing the right thing at the right time," said Matos.
One of the first responders from the Miramar Police Department, Officer Patrick Murphy, told the media that in his 11 years as an officer, this is the first time he's been on a case where a child survived a drowning.
"A lot of things went right in this case. Helena, the family, she wasn't in the water very long. They started the CPR; rescue got there quickly," said Officer Murphy.
Helena's father, Christopher Brochey, urged parents to take precautions and said he hopes he and his wife can raise pool safety awareness.
"It can happen to any of [your children]. She's the proof," said Brochey.
Miramar Police officers encourage the public to teach their children how to swim as early as possible and take CPR lessons.
