A 33-year-old father, Antwon Wilson, heroically saved his two daughters from drowning while at Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Unfortunately, the man drowned as a result, in an incident that, heartbreakingly, occurred during Father’s Day.
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According to WSVN, the incident took place on the night of June 15. Antwon Wilson went into the water after he noticed his two daughters were in distress.
WFLA reports that one of his daughters, aged 7 to 10, was struggling in the water. Her sibling was nearby and also appeared to be in distress. FLFR Battalion Chief Daniel Moran told the outlet that Wilson managed to keep his daughter afloat.
Authorities were informed of the incident, with several witnesses reporting it. However, at the time the incident took place, the lifeguards had already closed their towers. Fortunately, however, at 7:20 p.m., the lifeguards were still nearby.
“A lot of them were still in the area loading up equipment,” Moran said. “They were first on scene, they were able to turn their trucks around and be the first responders from our fire rescue department.”
A good Samaritan, Eslam Saad, at the scene also jumped into the water to help Wilson and the girls.
A Good Samaritan
While talking with WSVN, Saad recalled how he jumped into the water almost immediately.
“I didn’t think about anything, I didn’t even tell my wife I’m going in the water again, I just jumped into the water,” Saad said. “I just tried to swim, I just tried to get out with her, I think I did my best to get her closer to offshore.”
Saad eventually reached the girl and brought her closer to shore.
“When I got close to her, I told her, ‘Please, I know you are in panic. Please, do not do anything crazy, I will try my best to get you out,” Saad recalled.
Eslam Saad, at one point, became overwhelmed and was pulled underwater. Chief Moran said that he was able to self-rescue.
Wilson managed to save his daughter with the help of Saad, and his other daughter was rescued too. However, the father was pulled underwater. A few minutes later, he was found underwater, rescued, and rushed to a local hospital. Unfortunately, Antwon Wilson was pronounced dead at the hospital.
As per WSVN, the girl is expected to recover and is at Broward Health Medical Center. Wilson’s family met Saad and thanked him for his help.