'He's my guardian angel': Nurse and dog die trying to save man from Hurricane Helene floods
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Boone McCrary's boat sank while trying to save a drowning man. His body was found four days later.
A medic and his dog died while trying to rescue a man caught in flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in the United States, reports in particular ABC News.
The events have in Tennessee, where the Nolichucky River had burst its banks after the hurricane. Boone McCrary, 32, had posted a message on Facebook asking his friends if they knew anyone someone who needed help. This is how he was led to come to the aid of David Boutin, a 46-year-old man whose house had been destroyed.
On the evening of September 27, Boone boarded his fishing boat with his girlfriend and his Labrador retriever to try to rescue David Boutin. Unfortunately, debris in the water jammed the boat's engine, causing it to hit a bridge and capsize.
After several days of searching involving hundreds of volunteers and tracking dogs, the Labrador's body was found two days later. It took another two days to find Boone McCrary's, about 20 miles downstream from the bridge where his boat capsized.
Girlfriend Rescued
His girlfriend was rescued after she managed to cling to a branch for several hours. David Boutin was also rescued by others after hanging on to branches for more than six hours. He said he was deeply moved to learn that someone had lost their life trying to save him.
“No one has ever risked their life for me,”, he told The Associated Press, as reported by ABC News. “He's my guardian angel, for sure.”
Category 4 Hurricane Helene killed at least 226 people people across several southeastern states, making it the deadliest since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Another hurricane, Milton, is expected to hit the west coast of Florida this week, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).