Close Ad

Lifeguard Fired For Saving A Life Gets Incredible Reward After Public Outrage
tomas lopez lifeguard fired
Everyday Heroes

Lifeguard Fired For Saving A Life Gets Incredible Reward After Public Outrage

A lifeguard fired for simply doing his job well was honored by his city.


A life in danger

21-year-old lifeguard Tomas Lopez was on duty in Hallandale Beach, Florida when a beachgoer alerted him to someone drowning. Lopez immediately ran to the scene.

Once he arrived to the scene, the swimmer was already on land. The man, Maksim Samartsev of Estonia, was semi-conscious and had trouble breathing.

Lopez and an off-duty nurse tended to Samartsev until paramedics arrived.

Dismissed

After the rescue, Lopez's manager called him to the office to fill out an incident report, and also to fire him. The reason: leaving his "assigned area."

Lopez was floored.

"It was a long run, but someone needed my help. I wasn't going to say no"

Tomas Lopez, to CBS

Szilard Janko, one of two lifeguards to quit in protest, put it more bluntly.

"What was he supposed to do? Watch a man drown?"

Jeff Ellis & Associates, the private company that provides lifeguarding services to the city, was unmoved. 

"We have liability issues and can't go out of the protected area," supervisor Susan Ellis said in a prepared statement.

"What he did was his own decision. He knew the company rules and did what he thought he needed to do."

Redemption

As news of Lopez's harsh firing made national headlines, pressure against Jeff Ellis & Associates mounted. As a result, they offered the lifeguards their jobs back, but all refused.

Redemption came several days later when Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper invited Lopez and his colleagues as special guests to an event in their honor. 

There, to a standing ovation, she presented Lopez with the key to the city, an honor given only to "a trusted friend of city residents," per Wikipedia

In attendance at the event was someone especially eager to meet Lopez.

"I would like to say a big thanks to this man. He saved my life"

- Maksim Samartsev, per CBS Miami

That evening, Mayor Cooper also announced that the city will no longer be using Jeff Ellis & Associates for their lifeguarding services.

In an apologetic statement, the company agreed, saying that the "mishandling of the Tomas Lopez incident undermined public confidence."

Do what's right no matter the cost

After all is said and done, Lopez insists he didn't do anything more than his duty.

"All guards would have done the same thing. I think all of us deserve this. All I did was do what I was suppose to do"

- Tomas Lopez

But he ran where he was needed and did what's right, and, in the end, he received a hero's welcome.

So no matter how hard it gets to make a judgement call, remember that doing the right but sometimes difficult thing always pays off.

For more uplifting news:

Hot Stories

Leonardo DiCaprio Told Kate Winslet To “Let The Fat Girl Thing Go”
Leo Dicaprio Told Kate Winslet To “Let The Fat Girl Thing Go” …

Forced to feel ashamed for her weight and appearance, Kate Winslet struggled with her body image for years. The media loved to tease her for being “the fat girl,” but there was ONE PERSON who saw the real her. What did Leo see in Kate? And what important message does Kate have for young women everywhere?


Keep ReadingShow less
Videos
dave chappelle and wife elaine

Dave Chappelle may be one of the most popular comedians in the world, but to his wife Elaine, he's just Dave.

Chappelle had his big break with his Comedy Central Show Chappelle Show which ran from 2003 to 2005. The show was enormously popular and put Chappelle on the map. Chappelle’s Show was scheduled to have a third season after the success of the first two seasons but that never happened.

Keep ReadingShow less
Celebrities
41 Daughter Quotes That Will Touch and Melt Your Heart
daughter quotes

Having a daughter is undoubtedly a blessing. However, raising a girl with high self-esteem can be quite challenging. Between social media's filtered reality of perfect women and society's shifting expectations, parents face the daunting task of nurturing authentic self-worth in their daughters.

These carefully selected daughter quotes help provide a starting point. They're simple reminders that whatever accomplishments you may have to date, raising a daughter is probably your biggest one.

Keep ReadingShow less
Family