On February 25th, seven-year-old Dakota Duke was hiking along Rock Creek near Sulphur, Oklahoma, with his grandmother and siblings. The family’s dog was along with them too and when it stepped down onto a ledge, Dakota’s little brother, three-year-old Riley Duke, reached out to the dog and fell down a 100-foot cliff face into the creek.
With little concern for his own safety, Dakota jumped and slid down the cliff after his brother, coming to a stop on landing by the creek. He then jumped into the freezing creek and while he wasn't strong enough to pull him out of the water but he did pull his baby brother’s head out of the water. Park rangers were notified and within minutes both boys were rescued and taken to a nearby hospital.
Riley suffered multiple lacerations, broken bones, and a head injury. Riley needed a feeding tube and will be in the hospital for an extended period of time, but is expected to be OK. Dakota was treated and released from the hospital to recuperate at home.
Dakota thought he might be in trouble for jumping down there. His dad said "I've tried to tell him over and over again, that you 100% have done the correct thing. You saved your baby brother! We'll never be able to really thank him enough for what he did, honestly."
A friend of the family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help the family pay for expenses related to Riley’s treatment and recovery.