Tow Truck Driver Saves Dallas Man From Icy Water

Douglas Lane was checking for stranded vehicles on icy Texas roads Tuesday when he spotted an abandoned car and heard desperate shouting. What he discovered next gave him no time to think.

A man was thrashing in a nearby culvert, bobbing up and down in frigid drainage water. Lane, 41, immediately called 911 and jumped into action.

Unable to lift the victim alone, Lane grabbed the hood of the man's sweatshirt and held his head above water while waiting for help. He watched the 39-year-old Dallas man's face slip beneath the surface and refused to let go.

"His face went in the water, and my instinct was to say, 'Oh no, well, you're not going to do this,' and I reached in there," Lane recalled.

When police arrived, the victim showed no signs of life. His eyes had rolled back, and he had only a faint pulse.

Officers administered Narcan after spotting evidence of drug use and successfully revived him. Interim Police Chief Steve Davis believes a two-minute delay would have been fatal.

The victim remains hospitalized in intensive care with hypothermia. Police identified the abandoned vehicle as his but haven't determined how he entered the water.

Why This Inspires

Lane credits his grandmother for the values that guided him in that critical moment. She taught him to always help strangers in need, no matter what.

The city of Seagoville plans to honor Lane at an upcoming council meeting for his heroism. But for Lane, the real reward came from following the lessons that shaped who he is.

"My grandma is the one that taught me to always help strangers," Lane said. "Always help somebody in need, and that is what I went with."

Lane is still processing what happened during what started as a routine workday. His quick thinking and willingness to act transformed minutes into the difference between life and death.

Sometimes the smallest lessons from those who raised us become the biggest gifts we can give the world.