|
In video of the rescue, standing in the rain with the submerged
vehicle behind him, FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen
describes how the woman drove into a flooded area.
He says he has called 911, and she can be heard screaming as he
tries to assure her that help is on the way. Then he says to the
camera: “It's a situation. We'll get back to you in a little
bit. I'm going to see if I can help this lady out a little bit
more you guys."
Van Dillen is then seen wading through the water with the woman
on her back, carrying her to safety.
Later, in an interview, he said he dropped everything to help.
“I took my wallet out of my pants, and I went in there, waded
in, got chest deep,” Van Dillen said. "She was in there, she was
still strapped into her car and the water was actually rising
and getting up into the car itself, so she was about, almost
neck deep submerged in her own car.”
Subramaniam Vincent, director of journalism and media ethics at
the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara
University, said this was an example of a reporter's role
intersecting with human responsibility.
It's clear that while he had a professional obligation to report
the news, “there’s also someone whose potential life is at
risk,” Vincent said. “So I think the call he made is a human
call.”
Considering the rising waters and the woman's cries for help,
along with not knowing when help would arrive, “it's a
straightforward case of jumping in — a fellow citizen actually
helping another," Vincent said.
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
