While patrolling for stranded vehicles during extreme winter weather in Texas last week, 41-year-old tow truck driver Douglas Lane rescued a man from an icy drainage ditch along the highway. He noticed an abandoned car in the service lane and heard shouting before seeing a man struggling in a nearby culvert filled with frigid water. He immediately called 911 and entered the culvert to help.
Lane wasn’t able to lift the man out by himself, but he kept the man’s head above water by holding onto the hood of his sweatshirt until police arrived. Responding officers helped with the rescue and pulled the man from the water. At first, he was unresponsive, but after finding evidence of drug use, police administered Narcan, reviving him.
According to police, the 39-year-old Dallas man remains hospitalized in intensive care with hypothermia. Interim Police Chief Steve Davis says a delay of even a couple of minutes could easily have been fatal. The police department plans to honor Lane at an upcoming city council meeting for his heroic actions.
Source: DALLAS EXPRESS
photo: GETTY