Posted on 09/13/2010 10:49:04 PM PDT by UncleHambone
MOSS POINT, Mississippi (WALA) - A Moss Point police officer is being hailed as a hero after saving a Theodore man in a sinking car.
Luck never falls on a schedule, but sometimes it falls upon the right person at just the right time.
On Thursday, Corporal Frederick Gaston was watching a football game at work, when he left to pick up some burgers.
While driving down the interstate, he heard a call about an accident on I-10.
"I figured since I was a lot closer to the accident site, I would respond to it," Gaston said.
When the officer arrived, he saw track marks, but he didn't spot the car. Then he saw people in the woods with flashlights, they said the car was in the water.
The car had crashed on the interstate, sped down the hill, slammed into the water and began to sink, and there was a 63-year-old man inside. So Gaston called out to him.
"He called out saying 'I need help', and right as he said, 'help,' I heard his voice gurgling in the water and I realized he's about to go under, so I gotta do something right then," Gaston said.
Gaston was the only law enforcement official on scene, he either had to act or let the man drown.
"If I had any second thoughts, I would've taken all my gear off and taken off my ballistic vests and boots which would've made it a lot easier to swim," Gaston said.
Gaston dove in, and pulled the man out of the car. By the time he reached shore, other emergency responders had arrived and took the man to a hospital.
People can call this whatever they want; coincidence or luck, but Gaston believes that night he served a higher purpose.
"You gotta believe there's something more than yourself out there in this world and if you ever doubted, you go through an experience like that, you gotta believe there's something more than yourself out there," said Gaston.
Gaston has been in law enforcement for 16-years. He says he's helped save people out of sinking cars before, but this was the first time he did it alone.
Thanks for a great post.
I guess Magical Mischief Tour missed this one. He only posts bad cop stories.
Mississippi ping
Well said, Officer Gaston!
Related article: Moss Point officers rescue man from submerged vehicle
Well done.
Waht the heck were the other people doing - watching?
Bless his heart for real...it was a God thing.
I love law enforcement officers...always have, and always will.
They see the side of life that I don’t want to, but they go in feet first.
And...they do it willingly.
It’s well to remember that the cops are not Keystone all the time. Here’s an example.
It’s possible they couldn’t swim. Can’t think of anything else.
Huh? Looks like someone found a new definition for "work".
Good to hear he was able to save a life, though.
Looking for and posting lot’s of pro-law enforcement stories there eh? Why is that? Has there been a rash of bad/adverse publicity lately? Is this to stave off budget cuts or something? Suppose I run stories that aren’t favorable or show LE in a bad light? Does that mean I’m a “liberal’ or a bad person? Just askin!
Yes, you found me out. I have been posting nightly a handful of positive stories about law enforcement.
My posts are in response to another Freeper who was posting negative stories every night. I wouldn’t consider that a “rash of bad publicity,” just a one-sided presentation of news to prove a point. I am simply doing the same kind of presentation to prove my point.
I don’t claim that all cops are saints and can do no wrong, and if some one claims that I am, it is a misinterpretation of my intent. I only want to show that the men and women of law enforcement are not all evil and out of control.
As to you being a liberal or a bad person for making unfavorable posts about cops? I never would have suggested that. I didn’t shoot down, impugn the intent of or insult the poster of negative articles, I just tried to add another perspective to the discussion.
Great article. God rules in the heavens and in earth.
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