The life of a wheel-chair bound Carnival cruise passenger was saved by two men after she fell from a dock in the Virgin Islands Monday morning.
Reports said the girl was visiting St. Thomas with her family when her wheelchair rolled off the dock and into the water.
Randolph Donovan and Kashief Hamilton, both residents of St. Thomas who work for an entertainment group at the West Indian Company dock, took immediate action.
Both men jumped into the water and Donovan placed a life preserver around the little girl as Hamilton tied a rope around them both so rescue crews could pull them to safety.
Video footage of the incident shows the moment both Donovan and the girl are removed from the water. Reports said the little girl was taken back onboard the ship to receive further medical treatment.
Hamilton, who is a local DJ, later wrote about the incident on Facebook.
The post read:
Wake up this morning set and ready to go Dj on WICO Dock for the tourist coming in on the carnival ship not knowing i will be saving a tourist life. Thank God we all are safe and sound. The love that is coming is tremendous and i want to say thank you to each and everyone. Situation like this all you can do is act and hope for the best. Randolph Donovan I’m glad that we did what we did and we are ok… VI Strong.
Donovan also wrote about the harrowing experience online, saying that all he could do was move fast to save the little girl.
The post read:
I couldn’t think, I just had to move real quick. I cannot stop thinking about the way she was looking; I told myself I had to save her. The water was deep and when I [saw] the wheelchair going under, the weight and the fight that she put on me, I was in a tight situation. I [kept] screaming saying I cannot hold on no more.
Later in the video, the girl’s family is seen hugging Donovan for his heroic actions as medical personnel examine him.
Sen. Kurt Vialet (D-VI) hailed the two men as heroes on his Facebook page and thanked them for saving the little girl.
“Everyday heroes with unassuming personalities live among us!” he wrote. “I know that young lady’s family is forever grateful and we as a people are proud of you! Again, thank you heroes!!!”