Tow truck driver helps save man from icy water in Seagoville

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Douglas Lane

SEAGOVILLE, Texas - A tow truck driver is receiving praise from across North Texas after helping to save the life of a man found submerged in icy water.

The Seagoville police chief says had the rescue operation been two minutes later, the man’s life would have been lost.

Tow truck driver assists rescue

What went down:

Seagoville police officers are recognizing a man they call a hero. Douglas Lane, a 41-year-old tow truck driver helped in the operation to save a man’s life Tuesday. Lane told FOX 4 on Wednesday that he still hasn't fully processed the rescue. 

It started when Lane noticed a man acting erratically, nearly drowning in frigid water, in a nearby highway drainage culvert.

He said he heard the man shouting for help before he noticed the body "bobbing up and down in the water." Quickly, Lane called 911.

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The man was too heavy for Lane to rescue on his own, but with the help of several officers, they pulled the man out of the water in freezing temperatures. 

The man was unresponsive after they got him out. After seeing signs of drug abuse, officers administered Narcan, an opioid reversal drug, and it worked.

The man's vehicle was found nearby. He was treated for hypothermia, and was transported to a hospital where he remains in the ICU.

Douglas Lane

What's next:

Seagoville Police Department plans to award Lane at an upcoming city council meeting. 

What we don't know:

It’s unclear how the man got into the water. 

 Police laud hero

What they're saying:

Interim chief Steve Davis believes if Lane had not responded, or responded two minutes later than he did, the man would have died.

"He had a faint pulse," said Davis. "He was non-responsive, his eyes were rolled back in his head."

"Whenever I reached down there to grab him, that’s when his head was underwater," Davis continued.

Lane said he was scared for the man, but he remained calm.

"His face went in the water and my instinct was to say, ‘Oh no, well, you’re not going to do this,’ and I reached in there."

And while officers credit him with saving a life, Lane gives credit to someone else.

"My grandma is the one that taught me to always help strangers," Lane said. "Always help somebody in need, and that is what I went with. I just helped him."