Baytown, TX local 1173 members pulled a man and his service dog to safety after the vehicle they were in veered off the road and into the water near Bayland Marina.
“I am very proud of what our members were able to do in what was, no doubt, a tough situation,” says 11th District Vice President Sandy McGhee. “They stayed calm but acted quickly. Thankfully, the driver and his dog are doing okay.”
The driver, a paraplegic who had a vehicle designed to enable him to drive without the use of his feet, was driving on May 22 when he used the wrong control, causing his vehicle to leave the roadway and fall into the water.
The vehicle did not immediately submerge, and the driver was able to call 9-1-1 for help. Local 1173 members responded to the scene and, with no time to spare, went into the water, stabilized the vehicle and used the jaws of life to help the driver and his dog get out to safety.
“Water rescues near the marina can be difficult as the water is very murky, making it difficult to see anything,” says Local 1173 President Dallas Webb. “Our Local 1173 members did an outstanding job that day.”
The driver and his dog were sent for medical assessment and both are doing fine.
