Passer-by pulls mom, 2 kids from Hollywood motel pool

LOS ANGELES — A mother and two of her children were hospitalized in grave condition Tuesday after she jumped in to a motel pool in Hollywood to help the struggling kids and all three were pulled from the water by a passer-by who learned CPR just last week, authorities said.

The woman and her 12-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son weren’t breathing and didn’t have pulses when they were rescued Monday in the shallow end of the Hollywood Premiere Motel’s pool on Hollywood Boulevard, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials.

The children headed to the deep end of the 7 1/2-foot-deep pool and panicked, prompting their 36-year-old mother to jump in to rescue them, fire spokesman Peter Sanders said. The trio had “limited” swimming abilities, he said.

A man who had only recently learned CPR was walking down the street and heard the commotion at the motel’s fenced-in pool, Sanders said. He pulled all three from the pool and began revival efforts.

They were transported to local hospitals and remained in grave condition Tuesday, said Police Officer Joel Morales.

The mother had brought her four children to the pool with an unidentified man. Witness Katherine Carpio told KABC-TV that at one point the man was crying and emotional.

The motel pool does not have a lifeguard on duty and had a “no lifeguard” sign hanging near the pool, according to the fire department.

“A CPR class definitely saves lives, or help extend the chain of survival here,” Sanders said. “Bystander CPR is an amazing thing. We encourage everyone to learn how to do CPR.”