Tournament fishermen save elderly man from drowning, says Natchitoches Sheriff

NATCHITOCHES PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS)—The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office commends the heroic actions of two Rapides Parish men whose quick thinking saved an elderly man’s life.

According to a social media post, Sheriff Stuart Wright says Brock Newcomb, 32, and Tyler Dauzat, 35, were fishing in a tournament on the Cane River on February 8, when they came around a bend and saw a car in the river.

Wright says an 80-year-old man was inside the 2018 Honda Accord, which had veered off the road on La—Hwy 494 near the Bermuda community. The vehicle traveled down an embankment and plunged into the Cane River. As the car was sinking, the two men pulled the 80-year-old from the vehicle.

The post went on to read that they took him to the Shell Beach boat launch for medical aid.

Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies, Louisiana State Police, Cane River Patrol, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center EMS, La. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the NPSO Dive Team responded to the scene. The elderly man is recovering at a hospital in Lafayette.

“What Brock and Tyler did was nothing short of heroic. They risked their own safety to help a stranger in need, and without their intervention, the outcome could have been much worse,” said Sheriff Wright, in a statement. “We are incredibly grateful for their swift response and bravery.”

Wright says both men downplayed their actions. Both said they just did what anyone would do.