Man hailed as hero after saving drowning 3-year-old girl

NEWNAN, Ga. - Little Lani is lucky to be alive after nearly drowning at a local pool. Now the man who saved her life is making it his mission to help save others.

Lani has made a miraculous recovery following Sunday's terrifying ordeal at a Newnan apartment complex.  

Patrick Hanlon is being hailed as a hero. He performed life-saving CPR on the 3-year-old girl.

Hanlon and his family were enjoying an afternoon at the pool when he heard a commotion.

"You hear that mom scream, you look over, there is a child lying on the ground," Hanlon told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes.

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Hanlon spent several years as a paramedic and flight medic, and instinct kicked in.

"Someone else had pulled her out of the pool.  Just ran right over," Hanlon explained. "Checked for a pulse. There was no pulse. I did three rounds of CPR, after that did a little more rescue breathing, got a pulse."

He worked on the child until first responders arrived at the scene. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), drowning is the leading cause of death for children 1 to 4 years old in the U.S.

Hanlon has contacted local and state leaders in hopes of passing laws that would make it mandatory for public and private pools to have automated external defibrillators, or AED's, on hand.

Coweta County Fire Chief Robby Flanagan praised Hanlon's quick response and encouraged everyone to learn CPR.

"It's very important," Chief Flanagan said. "You never know when you might need it to save a life such as in this case."    

SEE ALSO: Deadly child drownings have increased 300%, Children's Health Care of Atlanta reports
                                    
Lani's mother captured the heart-warming moment her daughter and Hanlon were reunited at the hospital.            

"It was awesome," Hanlon recalled. "I've never seen a positive outcome like this, and I remember turning around the corner, entering the room, and there she was smiling and sitting in the bed, playing with her toys.  It was phenomenal."