Floating Diaper Saves Toddler from Drowning

3-year-old Sariyah Michel was rescued from a lake, thanks to her absorbent Pampers diaper.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on October 26 2011

It’s always a plus when diapers are ultra-absorbent: After all, who wants to deal with leakage on the car ride home? But you probably never knew that a diaper’s absorbency could actually save your child’s life.

That was the case for 3-year-old Sariyah Michel, a toddler from Pembroke Park, Fla. On Tuesday, Sariyah’s parents were involved in a domestic dispute while the toddler’s mother was driving, and the car swerved into a lake.

Deputies responded to the accident quickly, and found Sariyah’s mother, Catherine Copeland, standing on top of the sinking car. Copeland couldn’t swim, and her daughter was still trapped inside the car.

The officers opened the car door, expecting the worst. Then, “All of a sudden this little thing popped up like a cork,” Deputy Cazi Navarro told the Sun Sentinel. He’d spotted the toddler’s diaper, which had propelled her to the water’s surface. “I saw it was a Pamper, and attached to the Pamper was this little girl,” he said.

Tragically, Sariyah’s father perished in the accident. Her mother was released from the hospital immediately, and suffered no major injuries in the accident. Sariyah herself is still in the hospital, but is in critical but stable condition. We’re pulling for her to make a speedy recovery!

Filed under: Weird,

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