Jumping from a height is scary to most people, even if it’s just into a giant pool of water below. However, one Austrian lifeguard got so sick of waiting for a young boy to gather the courage to take the leap that he physically kicked him off the edge to get rid of him. A video of the shocking incident was posted on Facebook, and people couldn’t believe what they saw.
- The boy was obviously terrified. In the short clip, the would-be diver, who looked to be in his early teens, clung to the metal rails at the top of the diving platform. He wanted to jump, but he seemed to be taking his time working up the balls to do so.
- Two different lifeguards asked him to come down. It’s fair enough that he didn’t feel courageous enough to jump, but he was taking up the diving board and stopping swimmers who actually did want to go for it. So, two lifeguards asked him to come down so others could have their turn.
- The boy refused to come off the edge. He must have thought he would be able to do it any minute now, so he refused the lifeguards’ requests. He wouldn’t leave and he wouldn’t jump, and they felt they had to take action.
- One of the lifeguards decided to kick the boy off. If he wasn’t going to make a move, he was going to have to be forced. Streyer Stadbades, who runs the pool where this happened, said that the lifeguard in the video does work for the company and that yes, he did indeed kick the boy off the diving board.
- They didn’t apologize, per se, but they did say it was “regrettable.” Theoretically, the boy could have been hurt badly by being pushed off the diving board when he wasn’t prepared. Thankfully, he wasn’t, but the company recognizes it wasn’t a great situation. “SBS will do everything they can so that the Steyrer in the future can bring an enjoyable and comfortable time at Steyrer Stadtbad,” the company said in a statement. “A lifeguard’s job is to ensure the safety of customers. Therefore it is very regrettable that the lifeguard was involved with the fall. We are doing all we can to be clear of the circumstances.”
- SBS did meet with those who were at the pool at the time the boy was kicked off. They apparently told them they were sorry for the “lapse in judgment” from the lifeguard. Austrian publication OÖNachrichten says that internal investigations are still ongoing.
