The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office recently recognized Angela Aaron and her 17-year-old daughter Haleigh Hasty for their lifesaving efforts in preventing an individual from drowning while in a submerged vehicle. Chief Deputy Bob Johnson presented the awards to both Aaron and Hasty at the Sheriff’s Office substation in Pace on Thursday night.
An individual drove their vehicle into the water near Jim’s Fish Camp in Pace on October 21 of last year, according to the SRSO press release.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies arrived on scene to find Hasty and Aaron assisting the still conscious individual out of the water on to the boat ramp with the assistance of first responders on scene. While the vehicle was completely submerged into the water, emergency responders were able to treat the person and take them to West Florida Hospital in Pensacola.
The report states the mother and daughter tandem were ultimately responsible for removing the individual from the submerged vehicle. The vehicle was later retrieved out of the water by a local automotive body repair company.
Out of respect for the individual, who Aaron identified as a friend, the mother said the person is currently receiving treatment following the incident.
Regardless, Aaron said she is proud of how her daughter reacted to the situation.
Haleigh enjoyed the recognition.
“It feels really good, I don’t really get recognized for a lot things…so this is good,” Haliegh said.
Both Aaron and Hasty are the first to receive such recognition this year from the SRSO. Public Information Officer Rich Aloy said the law enforcement agency recognized an individual for their ‘lifesaving’ actions just last year.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Sheriff's Office recognizes mother, daughter with 'Citizen Lifesaving' award