PIEDMONT, SC – Carson Couch doesn’t consider himself a hero, although to many he probably is.
It was October 2 when the Belmont firefighter made a rescue that was unlike any other in his career.
Couch, off-duty at the time, was driving down Piedmont Golf Course Road with his brother when he saw a frantic man on the side of the road. Just beyond him was a truck, quickly sinking in a pond.
“We slowed down; I rolled my window down and pulled over to him,” Couch said. “He kept asking if I could swim, and that’s when my little brother saw the child in the car.”
Trapped in the back seat of the truck was a two-year-old boy.
“All I saw was his face and hands just like this, pushed up against the glass of the back of the pick-up truck.”
Carson explained he swam 40 yards out, only to find the truck doors locked.
Running off adrenalin, he said he punched through the window.
“As soon as the water started coming in, it really started going down quick.”
Couch told 7 News he had just seconds to grab the young boy and kick himself away from the sinking vehicle before it went under.
“I looked back and there was nothing behind me.”
Minus a few bruises on his hand, the 21-year-old Belmont firefighter said everyone made it out unharmed.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office responded quickly to help Couch out of the water.
“Just being there to help somebody, it’s a great feeling,” said Couch. “It’s rewarding. It’s the best job in the world.”