March 2009
Rescue
On Feb. 19, 2008 I was on my way home from a bee keeping class that I was taking. I had stopped in the parking lot to talk for a few minutes, which put me a little behind my normal time frame. When I got on the highway I noticed that a car had hit a guard rail behind me, so I turned around to check on them. It was an older couple; they were ok and had already called for some help, so left. By this time I am about 30 min behind my normal schedule, but that was ok as I wasn’t in a real hurry.
About 10 min down the road I looked over and just happen to notice the back hatch of a vehicle sticking up out of a small lake, so I slammed on my brakes and snatched my truck around on the highway and got over to the side of the lake. I jumped out and went looking on the banks to see if anybody was there. A woman, that was behind me on the highway, pulled over too when she saw me hit the brakes. About that time I heard a scream from the water; there was a woman trapped in the vehicle and it was sinking. I told the women on the highway to call 911, and I dialed it on my phone too and dropped it, then dove into the water. I swam over to the SUV with a 4D mag light in my hand; I beat on the window until the light came out of my hand. Thank God I had my Leatherman Surge on my side. I have carried a Leatherman since I was about 14 and I am 28 now. I reached down and grabbed my Leatherman from my side and hit the window about twice. It shattered and I knocked the rest of the glass out of the window and pulled her out. We swam to the bank; she turned out to be a 17 year old high school senior and I hate to think what might have happened if I had not had my Leatherman on my side.
Thank you for making a great tool. I carry one every day and always will.
Brandon H.
Sylacauga, AL
OK, you voyeur, you. Enough of reading other people's stories. It's time you told your own tale of gripping heroism or even just neat DIY'ism. We know there's a Shakespeare in you somewhere. Don't make us use the Steens to find it.