Jonathan Bauer had no idea that he would save lives in the tragic events that would transpire when he and his 13-year-old daughter chose to take the scenic but more time-consuming route home from work.
But as he crossed the bridge over Assawoman Bay in Ocean City, Maryland, he crashed into several other cars.
I first remember hearing the tires screech.
Bauer told a group of reporters.
Then he saw that the truck was rocking back and forth, as if someone had lost control and was trying to make up for it.
Jonathan told the people who came to help him that he wanted to thank them.
The mayor of Ocean City, Rick Meehan, made Bauer, Ava, and the mayor’s wife honorary EMS members. Bauer also got a plaque for all the hard work he had done.
Jonathan is a real humble hero, which makes this story even more special than it was before.
Ocean City Today quotes Meehan as saying.
Today is a day for saying thank you. This was a terrible accident… The story ends with everyone being okay, which is thanks to everyone in this room.
Bauer then saw the terrifying scene of the truck crashing into a wall and flipping over halfway over the rail.
He tried to get out of the way, but he still got hit, which broke the windows in his car and covered his daughter in glass.
After checking on his daughter, who was surprisingly fine, he saw the truck driver trying to get out of his truck, but gravity kept pushing his door shut.
By the time Bauer got to him, he had freed himself, and the driver pointed into the water about 20 to 25 feet below without saying anything.
“He just pointed down at the water, and when I turned around, I saw the car seat and a little girl standing about six feet away from the car seat,” Bauer said.
“She was floating on her back, with her arms moving and her legs kicking. She was wearing a little pink dress.”
He looked around for boats but couldn’t find any. Then he saw that the girl had turned over and was now face down in the water.
Bauer knew he had to act quickly, so he told his daughter to stay with the car and get a first responder while he jumped into the water to save the child.
His daughter cried and said that when her father jumped into the water, it was the scariest thing that had ever happened to her.
Bauer jumped feet-first into the shallow water from a high place, but it didn’t hurt him.
He then swam over to the little girl, picked her up out of the water, and put her high up on his shoulder. He patted her back so hard that she coughed up water.
The two people were saved when a boat came along and took them to shore.
His wife Wendy was crying as she talked about how proud she was of him and how surprised she was that he jumped since he’s afraid of heights.
I know for sure that he would never ride the Ferris wheel with me, said his daughter.
According to Ocean City Today, eight people were taken to local hospitals that day, and a 2-year-old girl was flown to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore after the accident, which closed the bridge for six hours.
Jonathan said that he wanted to thank the people who came to help at the scene.
Mayor Rick Meehan of Ocean City made Bauer, Ava, and his wife honorary EMS members. Bauer was also given a plaque in honor of his brave actions.
Meehan told Ocean City Today, “Jonathan is a real humble hero, which makes this even more special than it already was.”
“Today is a day for saying thank you. This was a terrible accident… Everyone is okay at the end of the story, and that’s because of everyone in this room.”