John Andrew Moss saved Kelley M. Gibbs from drowning, McDonough, Georgia, March 17, 1990. Miss Gibbs, 19, escaped from her car after it was swept off a flooded highway, before dawn, by the swift current of Calves Creek. She shouted for help as she clung to a vine in the midst of the flood waters. Asleep in his nearby home, Moss, 29, air traffic controller, heard Miss Gibbs’s shouts. He went to the flooded creek and, using a flashlight to help him see, entered the water to search for Miss Gibbs. He waded toward the sound of her voice, using the trees for support against the current. Moss found Miss Gibbs about 300 feet from the edge of the water; then in water beyond his depth, he braced himself against a tree as he reached for her. He grasped Miss Gibbs and waded out of the flood waters with her, carrying her much of the way. Miss Gibbs required hospital treatment for bruises. Moss recovered from minor scratches.
64950-7509