Local boy recalls being stuck in water for nearly two hours

A local boy is lucky to be alive after a dramatic rescue at Pillar Falls this weekend near Twin Falls. While swimming with his family, he got his leg stuck in between rocks and struggled to keep his head above water.

14-year-old Kevin Flint and his mom say they can’t thank first responders and good Samaritans enough for saving Kevin’s life. He spent nearly two hours in the water before being rescued.

He was spending the weekend in Pillar Falls with his family. He was swimming after kayaking when things took a horrifying turn.

“He slipped on moss with his sandal and as the current took him down he tried to grab for everything else, he got his knee stuck in between some rocks that held him in the waterfall and lodged him in there,” says Nicole Fousek, Kevin’s mom.

People rushed over to help Flint. The biggest concern: keeping his head above water. Good Samaritans and his family built a human dam around him shielding his face from the water for nearly two hours.

“I wasn’t panicked, I was there, I kind of felt like I was going to die, but it was more like I was like ‘okay, at least I’m going to die with my family,'” says Flint.

But he survived. Rescue crews had to use ropes to pull him out. A moment of relief for his family.

“All I saw was his swim shorts and that was the biggest relief of my life and we just all cried. Everybody cried, my son came up to me and hugged me and said ‘we got him,’ it was a relief,” says Fousek.

The family just has one thing to say.

“Just thank you,” says Flint.

“Thank you to everybody, I can’t thank everybody enough,” says Fousek.

Flint’s knee is a little sore, he will have to do physical therapy. He also has some scrapes and rope burn, but no broken bones.

The family has been in touch with some of the good samaritans that helped.