MISSOURI CITY, Texas – A stranger who saved a man from drowning after crashing his car into a bayou was honored Monday by the Fort Bend County Constable for Precinct 2.
Without a second thought, John Greco jumped into the frigid water of Mustang Bayou in Missouri City Thursday to help a driver who had lost control of his vehicle.
”I could see the top of the water being ruffled like this," Greco recalled. “That man was underneath there. He must have been doing something.”
Moments before, Greco said he was driving south on the Fort Bend Tollway. He saw a car lose control, drive down an embankment and go airborne, before landing in the water. Greco said he parked his truck and ran down the embankment, jumping into the water. Once in the water, Greco said he found the driver struggling to get air.
“I said, ‘Brother, just think about all the people who love you that are home. I promise you, you’re going to go home and see them tonight,’” Greco said.
Greco said he was able to get the man to the embankment, where a constable deputy was waiting to help them out of the water. That’s when Greco said he realized why the driver was struggling so much in the water.
“He had like three layers of clothes on and he had cowboy boots on,” Greco said. “Cowboy boots is full of water. Lesson learned, if you’re ever trying to get somebody out of the water, first thing to do is say, ‘Do you have cowboy boots? If so, you have to take them off.’”
”Your quick action definite, probably is why the victim is still alive today,” Constable Daryl a Smith said.
Greco said he is not a religious man, but he feels certain that God saved the driver’s life.
“I told him before I left, I knelt down and I said, ’God blessed you today.’ I hope that he heard that,” Greco said.
The crash was ruled as an accident by authorities. Officials said the driver refused medical attention the day of the crash.