'He died a hero': Family says brother saved sister from Nebraska river

THE FAMILY OF A 17 YEAR OLD SWEPT AWAY ON THE PLATTE RIVER. SAYS HE DIED A HERO. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I’M ROB MCCARTNEY. I’M JULIE CORNELL JACKSON. POTTER’S FAMILY SAYS HE WAS TRYING TO SAVE HIS SISTER WHEN HE WAS TAKEN BY THE WATERS. THEY’RE SHARING THEIR STORY ONLY WITH KETV. NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S ALEX MCLOON, WHO JOINS US LIVE. ROB JULIE JACKSON, SIBLINGS SAY THEY WENT TO HORMEL PARK LOOKING FOR FROGS AND ROCKS AROUND THE RIVERBANK. BUT WHEN WHEN THE SISTER WAS WADING IN THE WATER, THE RIVERBED SHIFTED AND JACKSON JUMPED INTO ACTION. BUT CREWS HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR HIM IN THE PLATTE RIVER EVER SINCE SUNDAY NIGHT. AND HE HAD SO MANY GOALS. HE HAD SO MANY WANTS, SO MANY THINGS HE WAS GOING TO CONQUER. JACKSON POTTER’S MOM HASN’T LEFT HOME SINCE SHE CAME HERE SUNDAY NIGHT. I WILL NOT UNTIL, UM, HIS BODY OR HIM HAS BEEN DISCOVERED. IT’S WHERE SHE SAYS JACKSON SAVED HIS SISTER’S LIFE. THE FOUR SIBLINGS AND A FRIEND WERE AT HORMEL PARK WHEN SISTER MADISON WAS IN THE WATER, AND THE SAND SHIFTED, AND I COULDN’T SWIM, SO I KEPT GOING UNDER. SO I CALLED OUT FOR JACK AND HE LET ME LATCH ON TO HIM. AND THEN EVENTUALLY HE JUST KEPT GOING UNDER. AND THEN HE STOPPED MOVING. THE 17 YEAR OLD FREMONT HIGH STUDENT WAS IN LINE TO START SCHOOL AT WESTERN NEBRASKA COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN SIDNEY NEXT MONTH, ON HIS WAY TO BECOMING AN AVIATION MECHANIC. HE WAS ALREADY ORCHARD. WE WERE GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL, HAVE HIS CAMPUS VISIT ON THE 17TH, BUT THE PLATTE RIVER, FULL OF DARK SPOTS. EXPERTS SAY THIS SEASON, STORMS AND FLOODS HAVE INCREASED AND ALWAYS SHIFTING RIVERBED COVERED IN SAND. YOU CAN BE A KNEE DEEP WATER ONE MINUTE AND TAKE A STEP OR TWO, AND YOU CAN DROP IN A HOLE THAT’S SIX, EIGHT, TEN FEET DEEP THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE. MOM AND THE FAMILY WAIT FOR NEWS AS THE SHERIFF SAYS, WIND AND HEAVY RAIN CONTINUE TO INTERRUPT SEARCH EFFORTS. HE DIED A HERO. JUST TRYING TO SAVE HER. YEAH, HE DID. FREMONT KNOWS HIS NAME AND NOW HIS HEART. CREWS WENT INTO THE WATER MONDAY, BUT CAME UP WITH NOTHING. THE SHERIFF IN DODGE COUNTY SAYS WHEN THE WEATHER IS CLEAR, CREWS WILL CONTINUE BOATING UP AND DOWN THE RIVERBANK WIT

The family of a 17-year-old swept away on Nebraska's Platte River said, "He died a hero." Jackson Potter's family said he was trying to save his sister when he was taken by the water. Jackson's siblings said they went to Hormel Park looking for frogs and rocks along the bank, but when the sandy riverbed shifted on his sister, Jackson jumped in the water where crews have been searching since Sunday night."He had so many goals and so many things he was going to conquer," said Jackson's mom, Jennifer Black.Jennifer hasn't left home since Sunday night."I will not until his body or he has been discovered," she said. The four siblings and a friend were at Hormel Park when his sister Addisyn was in the water, and the sand shifted. "I couldn't swim and kept going under, and I kept calling for Jack," said Addisyn Potter-Carlson. "He let me latch on to him, and then eventually he just kept going under, and then he stopped moving."The 17-year-old Fremont high student was expected to start school at Western Nebraska Community College in Sydney in August, on his way to becoming an aviation mechanic."He was all registered we were going to go to school, had his campus visit on the 17th," Black said.The river is full of dark spots.Experts said this season's storms and floods have increased, and the riverbed is always shifting and covered in sand."You can be knee-deep water one minute and take a step or two, and you could drop in a hole that's 6, 8, 10 feet deep that may not have been there before," said Eric Gottschalk with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources' Lower Platte Division.Mom and the family wait for news as the sheriff said wind and heavy rain continue to interrupt search efforts."He died a hero trying to save her," Black said. Crews went into the water Monday but didn't find him.When the weather is clear, the sheriff said crews will keep boating up and down the riverbank with sonar.

FREMONT, Neb. —

The family of a 17-year-old swept away on Nebraska's Platte River said, "He died a hero."

Jackson Potter's family said he was trying to save his sister when he was taken by the water.

Jackson's siblings said they went to Hormel Park looking for frogs and rocks along the bank, but when the sandy riverbed shifted on his sister, Jackson jumped in the water where crews have been searching since Sunday night.

"He had so many goals and so many things he was going to conquer," said Jackson's mom, Jennifer Black.

Jennifer hasn't left home since Sunday night.

"I will not until his body or he has been discovered," she said.

The four siblings and a friend were at Hormel Park when his sister Addisyn was in the water, and the sand shifted.

"I couldn't swim and kept going under, and I kept calling for Jack," said Addisyn Potter-Carlson. "He let me latch on to him, and then eventually he just kept going under, and then he stopped moving."

The 17-year-old Fremont high student was expected to start school at Western Nebraska Community College in Sydney in August, on his way to becoming an aviation mechanic.

"He was all registered we were going to go to school, had his campus visit on the 17th," Black said.

The river is full of dark spots.

Experts said this season's storms and floods have increased, and the riverbed is always shifting and covered in sand.

"You can be knee-deep water one minute and take a step or two, and you could drop in a hole that's 6, 8, 10 feet deep that may not have been there before," said Eric Gottschalk with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources' Lower Platte Division.

Mom and the family wait for news as the sheriff said wind and heavy rain continue to interrupt search efforts.

"He died a hero trying to save her," Black said.

Crews went into the water Monday but didn't find him.

When the weather is clear, the sheriff said crews will keep boating up and down the riverbank with sonar.

'He died a hero': Family says brother saved sister from Nebraska river

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