16-Year-Old’s Quick Action in River Rescue Protects Three Girls and a Police Officer

Evans was not an unfamiliar face to the water. According to his own account, he had been swimming since he was about three years old, giving him a familiarity with strong currents and aquatic conditions uncommon among many people his age.

Even so, the Pascagoula is not a calm pool. Under the moonlight, the surface rippled with invisible strength, and every yard of progress toward the stranded girls required effort against a pull that could drag swimmers under. Yet Corion persisted, driven not by thought but by instinct — the simple, urgent desire to keep others alive.

Rescuing the First Victims: One by One
Reaching the girls’ position, Evans faced a complicated rescue scenario. With the car partially submerged, the most practical place for the victims to wait was on the rooftop, but it still meant they were isolated in the river’s moving current. Corion’s task was not only to get to them but help secure their safe return to shore.