Man rescues woman, performs CPR after her car flips into creek in Clinton

CLINTON, Miss. (WLBT) - Early Monday morning in Clinton, a woman flipped her car into a creek and was found submerged underwater.

For Matt Head, his usual morning commute to work quickly came to a halt.

“I could see tire marks in the median but no vehicle,” he said. “There was an older gentleman and I asked him where the car was. He pointed to the drainage ditch and it was upside down, completely submerged.”

That’s when Head quickly sprung into action. He says he didn’t think twice before diving head first into waters, risking his life to save someone else’s.

“I opened up the rear passenger door and free dove into the car, came back up to catch my breathe and went back under. That’s when I reached over to the driver’s seat and found the driver.”

No stranger to helping those in need, Head works for the Mississippi State Department of Health as an Emergency Response Coordinator.

He also has 15 years of fire service experience under his belt. Head says he did everything he could to help until emergency crews arrived.

“I got my arms underneath hers and put her head on my chest, swam to the top of the water, opened up her airways and started performing CPR.”

But Head wasn’t alone. He says it took a group effort from multiple emergency agencies all coming together to save a life.

“American Medical Response, Clinton Fire Department, Hinds County Emergency Management, everybody there was working together.”

The driver was transported to a nearby hospital. Head says he hopes to someday see the woman he saved again soon.

“I really hope I get the chance to meet her. I have been praying for her!”

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