O
n a cold, snowy day in Washington D.C., amid the debris of a tragic plane crash in the Potomac River, a real-life hero emerged from obscurity.
Flying too low, Air Florida’s Flight 90 had crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, catapulting plane, baggage and terrified passengers into the freezing water. A flight attendant was floating in the icy current doing everything she could to stay alive. Someone on shore threw her a rope, but she could not grab it. She went under and popped back up, waving her hands and screaming for help. For a second time she went under - this time for much longer. Wideeyed, scrambling and gasping for breath, she finally came up for one more attempt to save her life.
A shy, unassuming man named Vinnie Skutnick was standing on the bridge watching the tragedy. Believing that he could make a difference, he quickly removed his heavy overcoat, kicked off his boots and dove into the sub-freezing river. Swimming like an Olympian, Skutnick found the flight attendant, lifted her head and shoulders out of the water, and whispered, “You will live.” As he pulled her from the river, Skutnick was asked why he risked his life to save the stranger.
He replied, “I couldn’t save everybody, but I knew I could make a difference to one person.”
Random acts of kindness do make a significant difference.