CNN reporter Drew Griffin was just about to go live from Beaumont, Texas, on Wednesday, when he and his crew saw a man accidentally drive his truck into dangerous floodwaters, leading Griffin and his team to rush to the rescue.
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Griffin was already rolling for a live news hit when Jerry Sumrall of Winnie, Texas, ended up in a nearby ravine. He responded by immediately grabbing rope and running over to help get him out.
“Get out dude,” Griffin can be heard yelling after the Sumrall’s car became partially submerged. The reporter then started asking his team for rope and ran toward the truck.
Here’s the moment just before @DrewGriffinCNN’s live shot that he realized a man was in need of rescue https://t.co/Hb20IhyEaK
— Joshua Chavers (@JoshuaChavers) August 30, 2017
The CNN team successfully pulled Samrall from his vehicle and saved him from what could have been a very dangerous situation, with the entire scenario happening on live TV, as The Daily Mail reported.
“Come on, sir, let’s get you up and into the dry. How are you doing?” Griffin said to Samrall, who was clearly shaken. “Lord have mercy, this is too much of a time for you to be interviewed right now. Are you doing all right? Your heart doing okay? You’re alive, sir. You’re alive.'”
Not long after, Sumrall’s truck was seen floating away, with the shocked man appearing on-air to express his gratitude to Griffin and the crew for helping save him from what could have been a horrific situation.
This just happened on live TV.Drew Griffin was supposed to be our lead reporter. He missed his liveshot…because he was saving a man's life. snpy.tv/2gq1d5x
Posted by John Berman on Wednesday, August 30, 2017
“I want to thank these guys for saving my life,” he said.
Griffin warned viewers of the dangers of being out and about in the middle of the hurricane, noting that situations like Samrall’s can develop “in seconds.”
“If nobody was here doing a live show, that fellow would be gone,” he said.