A South Carolina trucker joined good Samaritans in the rescue of a woman and her children after a collision flipped the family’s SUV into a body of water.
“I seen a lot of cars that was lined up in the curve. It was like a last-minute stop. And both ways were blocked. I stopped to put my four-way flashers on. And I got out of my truck and walked out,” trucker Johnny Myers reportedly said. “ As I got toward the bridge, it was two ladies said that a young lady and her kids ran off the road. And her kids are still up under the water. The SUV turned upside down in the water. I could not see it. Because nothing was showing.”
A pair of brothers and other bystanders used a chain to smash the windows of the submerged vehicle on North Williston Road in Florence County at the Darlington County line. One child had been rescued, but a second remained trapped. Myers, who was hauling through the area, went into the water as a dump truck operator secured the chain to pull the SUV out.
“One of the guys took the chain and broke the glass out. The top was kind of sunk in a little bit. So, the one guy said, he know he can’t get in there. So, I went,” Myers reportedly said. “I took it upon myself and went in there and unbuckled the last baby out of the car. And brought him up and put him on the highway beside the mother up there. Her and I both was trying to get the water out of him.”
Florence County Deputy Chris Seal took the emergency call and immediately responded to the scene. The deputy indicated that people waved him into the scene of the accident, where he saw the two children lying prone. The officer observed the 1-year-old breathing, but the two-year-old appeared unresponsive. He started performing compressions to buoy the child’s system until EMTs could perform potentially life-saving procedures.
“And I could hear the sirens behind me. So, I knew EMS was coming,” Deputy Seal reportedly said. “When EMS got there, they said we need to get him in the ambulance. He’s cold, wet, and stuff like that. So, I picked him up and put him in the ambulance. And I was just there doing CPR on him. For the remainder of the time.”
For Myers’ part, he could have joined the many travelers who drove by expecting others to take action. But he didn’t. It was an ordeal worth enduring in hopes he may have helped save a child’s life.
“This is one of the scariest things I have ever been in. The situation. I was glad I was there. But I hate to see it. But, I’m glad I was there. You know, willing to help. And try to help save a life,” Myers reportedly said.
Source: wpde.com
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