Hero Game Warden Risks Life to Save Drowning Man from Vortex: 'He Was Dead'
Riley Willman has been a game warden in Delaware County, Oklahoma, for three years. Last month, though, he also became a hero thanks to following his instincts and his willingness to put his life on the line for…
Riley Willman has been a game warden in Delaware County, Oklahoma, for three years. Last month, though, he also became a Hero thanks to following his instincts and his willingness to put his life on the line for another.
As Willman was driving on May 11, he passed the Flint Creek Waterpark and decided to stop and check for “angler compliance,” according to a Facebook post by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
It had rained heavily recently, making the creek full and increasing the water level in the area.
After parking and exiting his vehicle, Willman heard screaming coming from the opposite bank.
“I heard them screaming, ‘Help, police, call 911! Someone’s drowning!’ … And I saw that they were pointing to this low-water dam,” he said, according to the ODWC’s post.
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Willman immediately jumped into the water and swam to the low-water area below the dam. A man nearby indicated that his friend, who’d been swimming, had been pulled underwater and hadn’t been seen for several minutes.
Cautiously skirting the vortex, the warden searched the area, but there was no sign of the man. With each passing moment, the situation became even more dire.