COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Dustin Arrington wasn't even supposed to be at the beach that day in June.
The lineman with Coweta-Fayette Electric Membership Cooperative goes on vacations with his family in Panama City Beach every year. But that's always at the beginning of June, not the end.
"It is a blessing I was there that day," Arrington said.
Arrington noticed three men screaming for help in the water. A firefighter from Tennessee, Steve Ellison, was drowning in a riptide. So, Arrington handed his daughter over to his wife and ran into the water.
"My wife has asked me, 'What went through your mind?' Nothing. Nothing, other than to help," said Arrington, who was honored in November.
Arrington received the Lifesaving Award at the Georgia Electric Membership Cooperative's annual meeting on Nov. 11 in Savannah.
He said he and Ellison have quickly become friends. The two bonded over their love of the Georgia Bulldogs. The two now chat a couple of times a week.
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