Barbourville RN saves family from flood waters, acts quickly to prevent tragedy

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — A Barbourville RN found himself in the right place at the right time during February’s flooding. 

Douglas Frederick never imagined that February 13 would take such an unexpected turn. 

“I reacted to save their lives,” said Frederick.

Frederick was moving and trying to shut off the water at his old house, but he couldn’t get the water company on the phone.

“So I’m like, okay. I’m going out sort of that way,” Frederick added. “But I got to take another road about three miles, and I’ll just go by there and see, and go ahead and take care of it in person.”

Little did he know, he’d come across a life-threatening emergency on his way home.

“I look over, and lo and behold, there’s a white car flipped on its top over into the floodwater like a ponding area to the left,” said Frederick.

Coming down a windy road in Artemus, Frederick spotted a few men standing near a work truck, changing the course of his morning.

“They’re saying, ‘There’s kids in there, there’s kids in there,'” Frederick said. “And sure enough, I’m hearing kids screaming. And my heart’s beating out of my chest.”

Without hesitation, Frederick took action.

“Next thing I know, I dive in the back, slide and turn on my back, and I’m in water up to my neck, on my back, and try to get this little kid out of a car seat.”

Freeing the 4-year-old, he then turned his attention to the driver.

“I look over, and I hear somebody say, “I’m drowning. I’m drowning.’ And there is the mom, head just sticking up out of the water.”

As the cold water numbed his hands, he asked one of the men to hand him a knife. He said around 10–15 go by of trying to free her. 

“She’s kind of tugging on my arm at the same time I’m tugging on her and like, ‘I can’t get you, I can’t get you,’” Frederick added. “And I turn around and kind of throw the knife out to those guys and just try to figure out what I was going to do. I really was probably about ready to get and she said, ‘I’m free I’m free.’”

Frederick, the driver, the 4-year-old, and a 10-year-old who was pulled from the flood by another passerby took shelter until emergency personnel came and took them to the hospital.

“Mom came up and hugged me; we were all soaking wet, and they were all thanking me. I felt good about it because I thought I was going to see someone die right there. And I feel I made a difference and kept it from happening,” said Frederick.