Peyton Hillis Recalls Near-Death Experience While Saving Two Children From Drowning, Says It's 'A Miracle' Someone Didn't Die

Peyton Hillis spent two weeks in the hospital after saving two children from drowning while visiting a beach in Florida on January 4. On Tuesday morning, five months after the incident, the former NFL running back spoke about his near-death experience for the first time.

Hillis jumped into the Gulf of Mexico to save both his nine-year-old son and his young niece.

The 37-year-old joined 'Good Morning America' on Tuesday and described the horrifying experience in which he had to swim past his drowning son to save his niece first.

"I hear my mom screaming and so, I looked at her and she pointed out to my son, and she says, ‘Orry and Camilla are drowning,’" Hillis recalled. "… And so, I didn't even think, I reacted and started running into the water."

"I think the scariest point was when I'm swimming to my son and I have to pass by him because my niece is in more danger," Hillis explained. "I knew that I had to pass him up to get to Camille first. If I didn't then there's no way she would've made it."

Hillis admitted that both children and himself are lucky to be alive today.

“It is 100 percent a miracle that someone didn’t die,” Hillis explained.

He went on to say that he had enough strength to walk back to shore with his son, but lost consciousness as emergency personnel were arriving at the scene.

Peyton Hillis played seven seasons in the NFL after playing college football at Arkansas.