A water polo player from California intervened to save three girls who were struggling in deep water at a lake in Seattle. He spotted the girls in distress during the Seafair Weekend Festival, which is the city’s biggest event featuring boating and aviation, running from July 31 to August 2.
Lily Vering is receiving praise for his swift actions, drawing upon his prior lifeguard experience. “There were three girls quite far away in the buoy lane that we had set up, and it didn’t look very good,” he explained to a news outlet.
On July 31, Vering, who is a rising junior at UC Davis, went to the lake to watch the Blue Angels perform and noticed a group that was clearly having trouble.
“They were already bobbing up and down trying to breathe, and one of the girls was actually drowning the other girl to breathe. That’s when I knew I had to jump in,” he said.
He recollected how he quickly assisted the girl who seemed to be struggling the most, swimming her back to calmer waters to help the others.
Vering, from Woodland Hills, California, then returned and helped pull the other girls out of the lake. “Unfortunately, by the time we got to the third girl, only the top of her head was there. I could see her black hair barely floating in the water. She was unconscious when I approached her. I lifted her head out of the water and put my arm under her armpit to support her,” he remarked.
As he recounted the tense moments, he noted that the last girl was indeed unconscious and had become tangled in the buoy’s rope, so they had to act quickly to get her to safety.
Once they were back ashore, the girl regained consciousness and started to expel water. Bystanders called 911, and one of the girls was taken to Seattle Children’s Hospital in stable condition.
Vering, whose father previously served as a captain in the Los Angeles Fire Department, felt no hesitation when jumping in to help. “I didn’t think twice about myself to save three people,” he shared. “I’m glad everyone is safe.”
Seafair’s CEO Emily Cantrell heard about Vering’s brave rescue and rushed to meet him, where he jokingly asked if he could hug her. Following their encounter, he was honored as a knight of Seafair and named the “Guardian of Lake Washington.” “It was incredible that she was in the right place at the right time. What she did was extraordinary,” Cantrell stated.
This year, Vering enjoyed a standout season at UC Davis, netting 30 goals and contributing 28 assists. He is pursuing degrees in mechanical engineering and statistics, with aspirations of working in the Nuclear Navy, inspired by his admiration for the Blue Angels.
Cantrell even hinted that she anticipates Vering returning to Seafair someday as a pilot for the Blue Angels.
