My wife, Melissa Hawkinson is a hero. She risked her life to save a five-year-old boy and his father on November 21, 2005. On that day, Melissa had gone on her way to pick up our children, as she usually does, from Orange Park, a recreation area that includes swimming and boating facilities, including the Lakeshore Boat ramp. While picking up the children, Melissa heard a sudden crash, and looking out over the water, she saw a car listing on the surface about 200 feet from shore.
After commanding a bystander to call 911, Melissa then ran down the dock, dove into the water, and swam to the car. When she reached it, the driver refused to open the door. He sat steadfast in the drivers seat and did nothing but stare blankly. But he wasn’t the only passenger in danger. As Melissa tried to gain the attention of the man, she suddenly heard the voice of a child crying and screaming from inside the car. At that moment, a terrifying realization dawned upon my wife: The driver was attempting not only to drown himself, but also the child in the back seat as well. As the car began sinking, Melissa struggled with the windows before finally slipping her arm in to unlock the door. She grabbed the five-year-old little boy trapped inside. With time running out, Melissa, commanded the driver to tell her if he had anyone else in the car. He said nothing. With the child in her arms, Melissa stayed with the vehicle as long as possible, until she confirmed that the driver had trapped no one else inside.
My wife then swam away with the boy in her arms just as the car sank below the surface. The driver swam out through the window/sunroof. My wife swam the child over to the dock, holding and comforting him until help arrived. It was there that Melissa learned the true horror of the situation: the driver was the little boy’s father. He was trying to commit suicide and kill his five-year-old son in the process.
As my six-year-old twin boy said, “Wow! Mommy is a super hero.” Melissa keeps saying that what she did was no big deal, and that anyone would have done the same. I am not so certain. My wife is a true hero. Had Melissa not acted in the face of danger, two people would have died. Instead, due to my wife’s quick thinking and heroism, an innocent child lives, a mother will see him grow to adulthood, and a disturbed father lives to face justice: he is being charged with attempted murder.
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