This Father’s Day weekend, a father-son duo were saved from a potentially devastating incident at Lock and Dam Park.
A fishing trip turned crisis
Glenn Wright Sr., 63, and 30-year-old son Glenn Wright Jr. were fishing together near the Baurle Boat Ramp on Father’s Day, when Wright Sr. found himself in the water, struggling against a dangerous current.
“The current was just so much, it tired me out,” said Wright Sr.
Richmond County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) Sergeant Darrell Grooms was making his rounds in the area around 12:10 p.m., when he was alerted that someone was drowning. Sgt. Grooms yelled to Wright Sr. to grab hold of a tree branch, which he was able to do.
Moments later, Sgt. Grooms watched as Wright Jr. jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue his father.
”I saw him struggling to stay above, and I wanted to help him. That’s all I wanted, was to try to get him out of the water. And the current was too strong…I couldn’t, I couldn’t do it,” said Wright Jr.
He was only able to make it to a nearby pillar in the water before he called out that he was about to go underwater.
It was then that Sgt. Grooms removed his uniform and duty belt and entered the water – and he wasn’t the only one to offer help in the dire situation. A bystander, Anthony Caruso, threw Wright Jr. and Sgt. Grooms a long ratchet strap which they used to pull themselves onto shore.
“I took my uniform off, dressed down, I called for the fire department and the ambulance. That was my first instinct to call for them,” said Sgt. Grooms.
Sgt. Grooms then swam to Wright Sr.’s location, when a second bystander who wanted to remain anonymous threw out a fishing net toward Sgt. Grooms and Wright Sr., who used it to pull themselves onto shore.
Grooms added that the situation may have ended differently if it weren’t for the help he received from Caruso and the other bystander.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it by myself,” Grooms said.
Wright Sr. said the life of his son was “the best Father’s Day gift” he could have received.
Recognition for lifesaving efforts
An intimate awards ceremony was held on Tuesday morning at the RCSO headquarters where Sgt. Grooms was presented with a Lifesaving Award for his efforts. Additionally, Caruso received a Citizen’s Lifesaving Award for lending a hand in the ordeal.
His acts just show that at any given moment, you know, you may have to step in, to save a life,” said Sheriff Gino Brantley.
