WATCH ABOVE: A 19-year-old East Tennessee man was trying to spend a relaxing Monday morning on the riverbank fishing, but ended up in the water saving a man’s life. Kyle Warnke reports.
TORONTO – A 19-year-old Tennessee man has become a hero after saving the life of a fellow angler who nearly drowned.
University of Tennessee student Daniel Baldwin is an avid fishing enthusiast. He was recently out enjoying the day – fishing near a dock on Norris Lake, north of Knoxville – while his GoPro camera was strapped to his chest and recording footage intended for his angling-themed YouTube channel, ‘Fishing with Leinad.’
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In a video he shared on Monday, Baldwin was interrupted when another man off-shore could be seen falling from his boat into the water – and it was quite apparent the man couldn’t swim and was in danger of drowning.
“I threw my rod down and jumped in there, didn’t even think about anything else except for getting that man out of the water,” he told CBS.
The entire rescue took about a minute and a half. The older man, who called himself “Ray,” thanked Baldwin the moment they were out of the water.
“I don’t even swim,” Ray could be heard saying as he caught his breath. “It’s something I need to learn.”
Baldwin noted in the description of the YouTube post that the incident is a good reminder to wear a life jacket and take swimming lessons.
“I could win the Bass Master Classic, I could have the biggest bass boat out there. But you know that one time I was on the bank and not on a boat, I’m glad I was there because I saved a life that day. That was the best day I’ve ever had fishing because of what happened in the end,” he added.
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