MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A young Tampa Bay area boy can credit the quick thinking and fast action of Boy Scouts for helping him and his father after a boating accident.

The father and son left a Manatee County boat ramp on Saturday for what they thought would be a day of fun on the Manatee River.

But less than a mile into their trip their boat hit an object in the water. The boat flipped, sending the father and son into the river.

It just so happens a Boy Scout troop was camping nearby and heard the screams for help.

Caleb Savage and another scout grabbed a canoe and started heading for the father and son.

“All that first aid training I have taken as a Boy Scout growing up in the troop helped. It came in handy, very handy because otherwise I wouldn’t have known what to do,” said Caleb, who doesn’t consider himself a hero. “It’s just doing what I have been trained to do to be totally honest.”

The scouts brought their medical kit and were ready to administer CPR, but within minutes emergency medical services arrived.

The boys’ scout leader is proud of their quick actions.

“It was a scary situation, but everybody kept cool and did what needed to be done to give a better result than what it could have been,” Bill Lawrence said.

The 7-year-old boy and his father were taken to the hospital. The child is still in the intensive care unit.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials say it’s fortunate the scouts could help.

“Anytime anyone has any training regarding first aid or any additional that the general public doesn’t receive, it is always nice to see people use that in a good way when bad things happen in the water or in the woods,” Lt. Baryl Martin said.