Kerry D. Reardon saved Amar Jakupovic from drowning, Tampa, Florida, November 5, 2005. Amar, 7, was trapped in the back seat of his family’s sport utility vehicle after it dropped from a highway bridge into Tampa Bay. The vehicle submerged in water at least 15 feet deep. Other members of Amar’s family escaped the vehicle and were picked up by four men in a boat. Driving on the bridge, Reardon, 43, air and hydronics technician, stopped at the scene and learned that someone remained in the vehicle. He removed his shoes, then dived from the bridge into the water, the surface of which was about 14 feet below. Reardon located the vehicle on his first dive, then surfaced for air. He dived again and went to the driver’s side of the vehicle, which he entered through the window of the driver’s door. Finding Amar in the back seat, Reardon freed him from his safety belt, then removed him from the vehicle. They surfaced and were taken aboard the boat. Amar was unconscious, and resuscitation efforts were begun as the boat went to shore. Amar was taken to the hospital for treatment, and he recovered. Reardon sustained minor scratches, and he too recovered.
78871 – 9020
78871-9020