ADA, Okla. (KXII) — Mother Amy Branom was at a loss for words when recalling the life-changing day when her seven-year-old son had a near-death experience.
"There's really not any words for it honestly," said Branom. "Saturday evening, my mom and my three kids and one of their dogs went out to Sulphur to go hiking up the mountain or the little trails they have out there."
Park Ranger and spokesperson for the Chickasaw National Recreational Area says the family was on the Rock Creek Trail. Their dog jumped down onto a ledge on the side of the cliff, and Riley, Branom's three-year-old son, followed behind her.
"We're not really sure if he slipped, or he fell or tripped, we don't really know exactly how it happened, but he fell off of that rock," said Branom.
The family says, without a second thought, Dakota, who's just seven years old, went down the hill to help his brother Riley.
Both boys fell nearly 100 feet down the cliff and into a creek.
"Once Dakota got down there to Riley, he pulled Riley out of the water," said Branom.
She says the water was 15 degrees that day.
"He just didn't have quite enough strength to get him all the way up, but he got his head out from underneath the water," said Branom.
It took rangers less than ten minutes to get to the boys. Riley suffered several head and face injuries, two broken ribs and a fractured wrist.
"Dakota, the older brother, he had a laceration on his forehead and a small laceration on the back of his head. And his knee was pretty bad. They thought he was gonna have skin grafts," said Branom.
Dakota is back home in Ada, Oklahoma, but Riley remains in a children's hospital.
"He's got a feeding tube right now, he's got a catheter in, a lot of IVs," said Branom.
She is proud of the love and bond the two brothers share.
"He doesn't understand exactly what he did. He knows that he saved his brother, but he doesn't understand that. We could be in a funeral home right now instead of at the hospital," said Branom.
While little Riley still has a long road to recovery, the family has received an overwhelming amount of support.
"It's truly heartwarming to see that there are people that care, and they don't know us, but they care," said Branom.
