Randy Wilkinson, Jr., was visiting a friend on Oct. 7, 2019, when he heard screaming from the nearby Old Brazos River near Freeport, Texas. An 11-year-old boy with a severely injured leg clung to the base of a pier more than 200 feet from the nearest river bank and was screaming for help. Wilkinson, a 31-year-old electrician of Lake Jackson, Texas, drove to the opposite bank, parked, and went to a dock, where he could pinpoint the boy’s cries to the middle of the river. Removing his shoes, he jumped into the river and swam about 300 feet to the boy, who he directed to climb onto his back. Towing the boy, he returned to the dock, and a police officer helped lift the boy to safety.
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