SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A man who was saved from drowning in Seminole County shared his gratitude to the many people involved in keeping him alive.
“Without these assets, without the training of the people, people like me would’ve been dead. I would’ve been at the bottom of Lake Harney,” Dan Watson said.
In January, Watson was changing out his tackle bait when his boat flipped over near Lake Harney and Jolly Gator area. As he struggled to stay afloat in the frigid water, he managed to call 911.
“I can’t hear you, I’m underwater,” Watson told the dispatcher during the call.
Two good Samaritans were fishing just a mile away when they saw Watson’s boat overturned and quickly headed his way to try to help him. The two men, 911 dispatchers, and the Seminole County Fire Department, using an airboat, were able to get Watson out of the water and to a local hospital. Suffering from hypothermia, his body was shutting down. After spending four days in the hospital, Watson made a full recovery.
On Friday, the dozens of people who worked to rescue him got Life Saving Awards.
“Not all of the outcomes are as good as they are today. It’s very, very meaningful for [the firefighters] when someone they helped save walks through the station; it gets them through those days,” Seminole County Fire Chief Matt Kinley said.
Seminole County Chairman and District 2 Commissioner Jay Zembower said they are committed to doing what it takes to have more success stories like this one.
“We have the attitude that you can’t put a price on a life; if you have to spend several million dollars for assets that saves one life, it’s well worth it,” he said.
