A fun day of playing in the backyard with friends nearly turned deadly when a young girl walked over a septic tank lid that came loose and dropped her into the open tank.

Scout Quinnlan K., of the Boy Scouts of America Green Mountain Council, immediately reached out and grabbed his friend, keeping her from slipping further down into the cold, raw sewage that had become like quicksand as it pulled her down.

“I thought I was gonna die,” the girl said. “I felt a pipe in the water, and I tried to put my foot on it, but my foot kept slipping.”

Quinnlan thought back to first aid training he had received in Cub Scouts to help him remain calm and reassure his friend while her brother ran inside to get more help.

He held on tightly as his friend struggled in the septic tank, and when help arrived, it took two adults to pull the girl free.

“I hugged my mom, and I think all I could say for the rest of the night was like, ‘Quinn saved my life,’” she said.

For more on this amazing story of heroism, be sure to read the full story in the Milton Independent.