“I jumped straight in the water from the top level of the dock,” Donovan told NBC News. “I removed her from the wheelchair because I didn’t want the wheelchair to sink with her in it.”
Kuntry Hamilton, a DJ for the Department of Tourism, saw the commotion and jumped in to help.
The DJ noticed his friend struggling so he wrapped a rope around the female passenger and Donovan.
Onlookers threw a life ring in the water to assist the men.
Staff from the cruise ship, along with port workers, helped pull all three to safety.
The rescue was caught on camera.
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Donovan, who shared video of the rescue, wrote on Facebook that he didn’t have time to think. He was acting on instinct.
“I couldn’t think, I just had to move real quick,” he wrote. “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 see the wheelchair going under, the weight and the fight that she put on me, I was in a tight situation. I keep screaming saying I cannot hold on no more.”
Both men received praise after the rescue.
In addition to receiving thanks from the passenger’s family, the Virgin Islands Consortium reported that Senator Kurt Vialet, the U.S. Virgin Islands’ senator, commended the men on the Senate floor for their valiant effort.
“Everyday heroes with unassuming personalities live among us!” Vialet wrote on Facebook. “Job well done and thank you for your willingness to assist with this duty today! I know that young lady’s family is forever grateful and we as a people are proud of you! Again, thank you heroes!!!”
This could have turned into a tragic moment, but thanks to these brave men a cruise ship passenger’s life was saved.
Share this on Facebook to thank these men for their courageous actions. They are heroes!