A Benton County deputy risked his life to save a woman whose car was swept into the high water of Deer Creek near Hastain in southern Benton County during the storm on April 29.
“I could still hear screaming and help, and I wasn’t able to see her. I could just hear, and she sounded closer than I thought,” said Deputy Markus Burns.
Although he was not sure where the woman was, Burns went into the water following the sound of her screams.
”I took my vest off and my duty belt to free up some weight and put the life vest on. My goal was to walk out as far as I could until I started to swim and hopefully see or get eyes on and see where she was. So I went ahead and went out there. I could feel the current starting to pick me up,” said Burns.
He spotted her clinging to a tree. He had to convince her just to let go.
”After talking her into it, getting her off the tree, and just letting go. She eventually did. The current took her to me, and I grabbed her. At that point, the water, which was approximately 4 or 5 feet deep, was up to my chest,” said Burns.
Benton County Sheriff Eric Knox was very proud of Deputy Burns.
“A shout out for Benton County Deputy Burns. He saved the life of one of our residents during the recent storm. Just after midnight a local resident called in a female screaming for help. Deputy Burns arrived in short order, shed his duty gear and went into the raging water without regard for his own safety and brought the victim back to the bank where she was treated by EMS and given a ride home. Deputy Burns is one of our new hires who is serving our great community. We are proud of you Deputy Burns and thank you for your selfless efforts! You give real meaning to the statement ‘to protect and serve”.
