A man in Ocean City, Maryland, is being hailed a hero for jumping into water to save a toddler. The 23-month-old girl fell out of a car and into the bay on Sunday after an accident that left the vehicle dangling off the guardrails of a bridge. Several other people were injured in the crash, the Ocean City Fire Department said in a statement released on social media.
Fire and police units were dispatched to the bridge on Sunday afternoon after being informed that one vehicle was half over the guardrail, and multiple patients were injured after the collision.
"During the collision, one pediatric patient was ejected from the car teetering over the guardrail and landed into the Assawoman Bay," the fire department said.
The toddler was saved by the timely action of a man who noticed her lying in the water face down.
"He just jumped into action," Ryan Whittington, firefighter and medic at Ocean City Fire Department, told CNN. "He saved a 23-month-old child. There's no doubt in our mind that if he had not did what he did when he did it that we would be having a different headline to this story," Mr Whittington said.
The good Samaritan who jumped in to save her does not wish to be identified. Mr Whittington said he was driving on the bridge and his car had also been involved in the crash.
On Facebook, many praised the "humble hero" and said his act of bravery should be recognised by an award. "The good Samaritan that jumped over to save that baby, risking their own life, is an absolute hero!" wrote one Facebook user. "Let's get this hero's face all over social media and the news. They deserve to be recognised for their amazing actions," another said.
The girl was flown to the Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital. Seven other people who suffered injuries in the crash were also taken to hospital.
