Six-year-old Saves Toddler Who Fell Into Swimming Pool

The son of a Glen Ellyn native made headlines in Wellington, Fla., last week after he saved a 2-year-old girl who fell into a swimming pool.

Six-year-old Palmer French used his strong swimming skills to pull his friend and neighbor, 2-year-old Scarlett Berger, out of the water after she fell into the pool and sunk to the bottom. The incident was covered on WPTV NBC Channel 5 in Florida on Dec. 12 (embedded above).

Palmer's mother, April French, lived in Glen Ellyn for nearly 10 years, attending Hadley Middle School and Glenbard West High School. She moved from Glen Ellyn to South Florida in 1995 to attend college and help her grandmother, who fell and broke her hip. She has been there ever since, acting, modeling, running her businesses and, most recently, working in sales.

April was at work when Palmer saved the little girl.

"I am so proud of Palmer," she said via email. "He has such a good soul. Anyone who meets Palmer remembers him—in a good way."

His reaction to the pool incident was mature for his age, she said.

"What surprises me is that he is only 6 years old, and most children would have screamed for their parents or froze," she said. "But Palmer actually knew what was right, and most importantly acted on it and saved her on his own, without anyone telling him what to do. I am so proud of him!"

His grandma and grandpa, Ruth and Tom Mansmith (also Glen Ellyn natives), were at the house when Scarlett fell in the pool.

"Palmer just instinctively jumped in, went to the bottom, picked her up and brought her to the surface," Tom told WPTV.

April said Tom, her step-father, has been Palmer's role model for his whole life, shaping the little boy with strong "Midwestern values."  According to WPTV, Tom routinely played a game in the pool with Palmer, where Palmer would swim to the bottom of the pool and pull his grandpa up. These are the skills he used to pull Scarlett out of the water. 

Palmer is getting a certificate from Palm Beach County Fire and Rescue for his heroism, and employees at Dillard's department store at the Wellington Greene Mall want to give him Christmas gifts, as well. 

When Palmer grows up, he's not sure what he wants to do, only that he want's a rich life with loved ones.

"I want to be a grown man with a job, wife and kids, a dog, bird and a chameleon, and that's it," he said.