A good Samaritan saved a woman’s life when he pulled her from the frigid Potomac River Friday evening.
Jelani Clayton said he pulled over off Ohio Drive SW just south of the Lincoln Memorial just before 7 p.m. to wait out frustrating traffic and enjoy the view instead.
“I love the view, by the way,” Clayton said. “That’s why I came down here, because if you see the view of the city over there, I think it’s beautiful.”
He said he saw something strange in the water.
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“I did not realize it was a person,” Clayton said. “I thought it was an animal or some trash, and as I got closer, the person whimpered.”
It was a woman with a jacket zipped up over her face.
“They were conscious, but just barely,” Clayton said. “Just barely.”
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Without hesitation, he jumped into action to pull the woman out and called 911.
The woman was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.
“She was getting very hypothermic, and she could have easily, within a matter of minutes, gone under, and we would have lost her if it wasn’t for his efforts,” said Vito Maggiolo of D.C. Fire and EMS.
It’s unclear how she got into the water.
“I just hope that that person gets help,” Clayton said. “I hope they’re doing better.”
He said he hopes this is a reminder to everyone one about lending a hand to those who need it.
“Humanity still exists. It could have been easy for me to walk away,” Clayton said. “Nobody was here; nobody was around. I could have left, but the humanity in me said that that’s a person in need, that’s a person who needs help.”
