In the blink of an eye the unexpected can happen, especially on the water. Imagine heading out to go fishing at sunrise to be the first to hit that honey hole in the calm of the morning. Fog gently rising above the water, slight breeze through the air, it seems like the perfect start to the day, until something bad happens.
That’s how the day started as Trevor Lindsey, construction contract representative for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, started a 7 a.m. meeting on May 7, 2021 at Longview Lake in Kansas City, Mo. Just a beautiful day by the lake with a construction meeting outdoors, until he heard a cry for help near the lake.
“Help, help me!” was heard from someone on the water. Before anyone at the meeting could react, Trevor’s instincts kicked in as he left without a word and ran to his truck. He drove to the nearby maintenance compound to retrieve a Corps work boat, hoping he could reach the victim in time. Luckily, Trevor’s previous position for the Corps was a maintenance employee at Longview Lake, where he knows the facilities, equipment and lay of the land.
If you’ve ever taken a boat out on the water, you understand it can be a process. Luckily, his experience working with equipment onsite at Longview proved to be beneficial and lifesaving. In record time, Trevor located a pontoon boat, hooked it up to his truck and drove two miles to the nearest boat ramp to launch and head out to the victim. When he arrived at the ramp, the local fire department was there ready to support a rescue, but they didn’t have a boat to launch to get to the victim.
Trevor took two of the local firefighters with him on the Corps pontoon boat and drove full speed to the, now very exhausted man holding onto the capsized canoe and striving to keep his head above water. When he reached the victim, he slowed the pontoon so the firefighters could pull him safely onto the boat deck. Luckily, due to Trevor’s quick instincts and lake knowledge, the man will live to tell his side of the story. In the future, we all hope the victim will wear his life jacket, make a float plan and always safely return home.
We salute you Trevor Lindsey, for going above and beyond your duties and saving a potential drowning victim. In our eyes, you will always be a hero.
Remember, when you don’t practice water safety by not wearing a life jacket, you not only put yourself in jeopardy, but several others too. Remember to wear it!