Garry W. Proffit died attempting to save Ashton M. King from suffocation, Lusby, Maryland, September 15, 1988. With a line attached to him, King, 56, entered a water storage tank at the power plant where he was employed and, losing consciousness in the tank’s oxygen-deficient atmosphere, fell into the water. Two co-workers, including Proffit, 34, in-service inspector, attempted to pull King from the tank, but King was snagged. Proffit then immediately entered the tank, which contained about 27 feet of water, to free King. Proffit submerged. King was pulled from the tank by others and was revived; he recovered after hospitalization. Proffit was recovered from the tank by divers, but he had drowned.
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