A 13-year-old boy survived a boating accident off the central California coast by hiding in a cooler that killed his father and four other people on the boat.
Juladi “Jude” Khammoungkhouane was out with relatives near Bodega Bay late in the evening on November 2 when his boat capsized violently and capsized.
In the chaos, Jude’s father Prasong orders his son to hide inside a cooler on the boat. Prasong held on to the ice box as long as he could, but eventually released it so that teenage Jude could swim to safety told KGO,
“It was very scary to see my father go so soon,” Jude told the local news station.
“I was crying and screaming for my dad, just so I could hear him say something again.”
The cooler carrying Jude eventually swam to shore. The boy slept on the beach that night and was found by first responders the next morning.
Jude was the only survivor. His father – who saved his son’s life – along with three other family members and a friend died when the boat capsized.
“I prayed to Jesus Christ and all my family members that I would survive and be reunited with my family and everyone I know,” Jude told KGO.
The group originally set out at 3 p.m. to celebrate the first day of recreational Dungeness crab season and planned to return to shore by 7 p.m.
According to U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Levi Reed, a family member waiting for them on land called the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office when they did not arrive in time, which then contacted the Coast Guard.
Search efforts officially ended Nov. 3 after teams covered more than 2,100 square miles, Reed said. During the search, the body of Jude’s 17-year-old cousin was recovered. The rest of the family members are not yet known.
Jude has since returned to his home in San Jose and is being cared for by other family members.
He said he was happy to be alive and to meet his surviving relatives.
“It was like a nice dream because I really wanted to see my family again,” he said.
“It’s really a good thing that I am back with my family because I am happy to see my family, and all my family members are supporting me in this journey without my father… I have at least one Got a chance to live a long life. ,
Two of Jude’s cousins set up a GoFundMe in Prasong’s memory to help his grieving family, including Jude’s mother and his two younger siblings. As of Tuesday, the fundraiser had surpassed its $50,000 goal, but donations continue to come in.
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