A wheelchair-bound girl rolled off a pier in the US Virgin islands and into the ocean — prompting two men to jump in after her, with the heroic rescue caught on video.
The girl, a passenger on the Carnival Fascination cruise ship, was with her family during a stopover on St. Thomas last week when cruise-line officials say she accidentally fell into the water in her wheelchair as it was being pushed by a relative.
Her rescuers leaped into the water, got her out of her wheelchair and helped get a lifesaver around her. The girl is seen in the video being pulled up to the pier with the help of the two men and Carnival staffers.
An NBC report identified the heroic men as Kashief Hamilton and pal Randolph Donovan, who said he works as a stilt dancer for the local tourism bureau.
“I jumped straight in the water from the dock,” Donovan said. “I removed her from the wheelchair because I didn’t want the wheelchair to sink with her in it.”
Hamilton, a DJ with the bureau, said he jumped in because he was worried Donovan might be trouble.
“I can’t lose my friend, so I jumped in,” he said.
Carnival spokeswoman Christine de la Huerta said in an e-mail Sunday that the girl “was seen by our medical team and did not sustain injuries. A complimentary replacement wheelchair has been provided for the duration of the cruise.
“Our most sincere thanks and appreciation to these individuals for their heroic efforts in assisting this guest,” she added.
Carnival Fascination was back at its home port of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sunday.
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