Teen who struggles to speak made the most important phone call of his life — while his mother held a stranger’s head above water
Heather and her 14-year-old autistic son Jaymon were later awarded the Citizen Life Saver Award.
On September 26, 2026, Heather Hall was home alone with her 14-year-old son, Jaymon Hall. It was her late mom’s birthday, and she was feeling very low. So she headed to the HOA clubhouse at Quail Lake Estates to hit the gym. The session certainly did wonders for her mood, but she soon found herself being hailed as a hero across Washington County. So did her son. A man was drowning in the hot tub, and the Halls immediately called 911. So while Heather held the man’s head out of the water, Jaymon made the most alarming phone call of his life. Their quick thinking eventually saved the man’s life, KSL News reported on November 10.
A race against time
While working out, Heather noticed something unusual through the room’s window facing the pool. "I could see somebody's stuff, but I couldn't see anybody there," she described. "Then I got the weights out and got ready, and it was just one of those intuition things. I was like, 'I need to go check on the pool.'" When she went to check the area, she found a man in the pool completely unresponsive. Her 14-year-old son, Jaymon, who had followed her, was told to call 911 while she yelled for help.
While Heather struggled to pull the man out of the water, Jaymon, who’s autistic and has apraxia of speech, which makes it difficult for him to speak, dialed the number and gave it to her mother. The man in the pool was over 6 feet, which is why she struggled to pull him out. "I was on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, and I just held his head out of the water,” she described. Within minutes, they heard the sirens, and Heather motioned Jaymon to open the gates for the officers.
A sigh of relief
Officer Torres instructed her to pull the drowning man’s arm and then got his legs out of the water. The officer then asked Jaymon to open the gate for EMS (Emergency Medical Services). Meanwhile, Jaymon took the responsibility and ushered the fire truck inside when it arrived. By the time they loaded the man into the ambulance, his skin had turned “pretty gray,” and no one was sure whether he’d survive. The next day, an officer called Heather and informed her the man was awake and aware. She conveyed the news to Jaymon, who breathed a sigh of relief. He described the overall experience as both “good” and “scary.”
Drowning remains a safety concern in Utah. According to Deseret News, nearly 4,000 people nationally die each day through drowning. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services estimated an average of 31 per year due to drowning. Of these, 68% of the drowning victims are male, who usually die in open water incidents, bathtubs, and swimming pools, among other locations.
A justified reward
In the case in point, the Halls were later awarded the Citizen Life Saver Award. Mayor Clark Fawcett, who too was present at the meeting, said what the mom-son duo did that day is “a testament to the type of people who live in Hurricane, Utah. "I'm just so proud to be associated with people like this who see a problem, step up, and put themselves out there," the mayor said. "It's amazing what they went through to do that and to save this individual. It just makes you feel good to know there are still good people out there who will do these kinds of things. And it sounds like they needed both of them in order to be able to keep him alive." Heather also expressed how proud she is of her son, who acted quickly in the dire situation and has now found a new friend in the man they saved.
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