Kim Crews and Jeff Moore were out on the Intracoastal in their boat enjoying the evening, and watching a pod of dolphins. Kim adores seeing the dolphins so they idled there a bit longer than usual. It was Tuesday, August 7, 2018, around 6:00 p.m. There was only one other boat out that evening with a father and his young son on it.
Jeff looked north and saw a boat hit a channel marker while seeing someone “fly off the boat and into the water”. Immediately racing to the scene, Jeff yelled out to the man in the other boat to call 911. Kim and Jeff reached the boat within a minute where a young woman was in the water and her bleeding appeared to be profuse; it was Kysa. Jeff dove into the water and carefully embraced Kysa and began swimming toward his boat. Kim and Jeff as a team worked together confidently and safely to get Kysa on the boat. While Jeff headed to the Fire station at Riverside Park, Kim supported Kysa’s head and held together significant lacerations while applying pressure to control bleeding. She spoke calming the whole time asking Kysa pertinent questions while at the same time comforting her. Kysa was amazing; despite the shock of the trauma, she gave Kim the answers she needed for the paramedics and hospital staff.
Within 11 minutes (to the best of their recall), Kysa’s life was transferred to the care of the paramedics. She was quickly taken to Lawnwood Regional Trauma Center. Kysa just turned 16 and was with some friends when the boating accident happened. She suffered facial and skull injuries. Kim is a nurse at Champion Home Health Care and Jeff ’s mom was a nurse and his father was a physician. They have strong medical knowledge and both are experienced boaters and divers; use to being on the water since childhood.
Brittney, Kysa’s mom shared with me: “Our entire family is so very thankful for both of them for saving our baby. We will never be able to thank them enough. They are now our family.” Perhaps guardian angels, faith, or alignment of positive energy for being in the right place at the right time; there is more to this story. Kim and Brittney, also a nurse, worked together in the past. Jeff and Kysa’s grandmother taught at the same elementary school years ago. Kim, as a young woman was in a car accident that caused multiple traumatic injuries which resembled similar injuries to Kysa’s. Jeff and Kim hope “that anyone else would do the same thing in an emergency.”
Kysa is recovering well and her outlook is remarkable as she now embarks on an unexpected journey of recovery and reconstruction. Kysa is a junior in High School and plans to major in marine biology after she graduates. She shared “Today I woke up. I am healthy. I am alive. Thank you.”