Doug Higgins, Class A superintendent at Regatta Bay Golf Club in Destin, Fla., went on vacation today. Fifty-nine-year-old Linda Alek is thanking her lucky stars that Higgins didn't leave town yesterday.
Higgins, a nine-year GCSAA, saved Alek's life Tuesday after she lost control of her car and drove it off a highway and into a Regatta Bay GC pond. Higgins rushed to her rescue and pulled her from the vehicle before it had sunk nose first with little more than a taillight showing.
"I did my good deed for the day," Higgins, laughing, told the local newspaper, The Destin Log. "I was just in the right place at the right time, like they say."
Higgins told the paper that he heard tires screeching in the direction of the highway and the adjoining pond while he was on his morning rounds and near 16th hole. He sped to the area where he found a car nearly in the middle of the pond slowly sinking nose first while a woman was trying in vain to get out of the vehicle through the driver's side window.
Higgins said he first called 911, then got in the water. When he reached the vehicle he yelled at the woman to unlock the back door because her door was too far under water. After some difficulty opening door because of increasing water pressure, he reached in, unfastened the woman's seat belt, pulled her over the seat and got her safely to shore. Shortly thereafter the car was about 95 percent submerged.
Alek was treated at the scene by fire and rescue personnel, but suffered no serious injuries.
Higgins, who has been at Regatta Bay GC for seven years, said several vehicles have wound up in the layout's ponds, but this is the first time such a mishap has happened in daylight ... again, lucky for Linda Alek.
Comments