Fisher Lindsey (Above, left) and George King are shown during an interview with WBTW-News 13 in Myrtle Beach, SC. The two men are credited with saving the life of man who nearly drowned off one of the tourist destination’s famed beaches in mid-July.
Screenshot taken from WBTW television
From Staff Reports
Two Greene County men are being heralded as heroes in Myrtle Beach, SC after rescuing a swimmer in distress just off one of the community’s busiest beaches.
Fisher Lindsey, of Sand Hill, and George King, of Leakesville, are credited with rescuing the unidentified gentleman early Sunday evening, July 21. Lindsey and King were in the area working, but the two of them, along with friends and coworkers, were celebrating Lindsey’s birthday on the day of the rescue.
“I wanted to have a day out, eat, fish off the pier,” Lindsey told Myrtle Beach television station WBTW-News 13. The station was the first to report the story.
When they walked back from 14th Avenue Pier at around 6 p.m., they noticed someone pulled pretty far from the shore and in trouble.
“Maybe we stood there 30-45 seconds, zooming in, making sure we did see what we thought we’d seen,” said Lindsey.
Lindsey and King say they ran into the water and grabbed a boogie board for help. They got out to the man, who still had a pulse.
For almost 10 minutes, Lindsey and King pulled him close to the shore, before their friends helped get him on land.
“It wasn’t even a decision to be made,” said Lindsey. “We sprung into action.”
“I had something like this happen to one of my kids years ago,” King said. “That’s all I could think of if it was somebody’s kid, so I just went.”
Lindsey and King say this happened while city fire rescue personnel were attempting to rescue another beachgoer nearby. The two men say it’s fortunate they walked by because no one noticed the swimmer.
“If that was the case, it would be a different scenario,” Lindsey said.
Lindsey and King have visited the man and his family at Grand Strand Medical Center. They’re also getting updates on his recovery.
They both say they’d definitely go back in to save someone again.
“Right now, I was thinking about it as I walked towards the water,” said Lindsey. “I had seen a few people that were far out. No hesitation.”
Lindsey says the man was responsive in the hospital, but was sedated so doctors could try to remove water from his lungs.
Editor’s Note: WBTW-News 13 agreed to share this story. For more about the incident, see the original report HERE!.
