On Monday, July 27, The Board of Commissioners recognized Scott Sroka and the Epstein Family for saving the life of a small child.
On Sunday, June 13, 2021, the Epstein family was boating on Diamond Lake when they noticed a group of people wading in the water near the boat launch. One of the women wading in the lake was in great distress, so Dustin, Hannah, and Sammy Epstein quickly jumped into the water and swam to the boat launch to provide aid. Scott Sroka, who had entered the lake in his kayak from the boat launch minutes prior, noticed the commotion and quickly made his way back to also be of assistance. Upon the arrival of Mr. Sroka and the Epstein family, they learned that a 3-year-old girl wading in the water with her mother had stepped off the end of the shallow boat launch and submerged into the deep waters of the lake. After minutes of searching the waters, Mr. Sroka miraculously pulled the child from the bottom of the lake, and Emma Epstein, who remained in the boat, called 911 and competently relayed information to the dispatcher while Scott Sroka and Hannah Epstein began performing life-saving CPR on the child, as a pulse could not be found. Moments later, the Mundelein Fire Department paramedics arrived on the scene, provided medical assistance to the child, and transported her to the hospital. Due to the immediate and appropriate life-saving actions of Scott Sroka and the Epstein family, the child is alive today.
