When a young woman in a wheelchair fell off a cruise ship dock in St. Martin, two local entertainers jumped in after her to save her from drowning.
Randolph Donovan and DJ Kashief Hamilton were both on the cruise ship dock when the woman fell into the water. Donovan, 34, jumped about ten feet down off the dock into the ocean where the woman was sinking. He told CNN:
“I got her out of her wheelchair. Someone on the dock threw down a life preserver.”1
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Then Hamilton, 33, jumped in to help his friend, who was holding up the young woman, kicking furiously, while struggling to keep the two of them afloat. The water was about 35 or 40 feet deep where they jumped in, making it more than deep enough for the woman, who was strapped into her wheelchair, to sink.
Hamilton and Donovan pulled the young woman back up to safety as people watched from the dock. They didn’t even catch her name, but they said one of her family members gave them a big hug. Hamilton said:
“I’m glad the outcome was something positive. We would have lost someone who is both a family member and a passenger.”1
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Hamilton noted that they easily could have lost their own lives if a gust of wind had struck the waves, which would have moved the massive Carnival Fascination cruise ship parked at the dock. If the ship had shifted a just few yards, all three of them could have been crushed between the boat and the dock.
A Carnival Cruise Line spokesman declined to identify the passenger who was rescued, but told CNN:
“The guest was seen by our medical team and did not sustain injuries. A complimentary replacement wheelchair has been provided for the duration of the cruise.”1
The governor and a legislator applauded Hamilton and Donovan’s rescue efforts. The two men said US Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan, Jr. called them and said:
“On behalf of the people of the Virgin Islands, I want to say thank you.”1
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Sen. Kurt A. Vialet, who represents the area in the legislature, praised the young men, writing:
“Everyday heroes with unassuming personalities live among us!”
Hamilton and Donovan said people recognize them walking down the local streets and say they’re “local heroes.”1
They will both always remember the woman they saved. Donovan added:
“I can’t stop thinking about her face, her expression. Her eyes were wide open, in shock. It’s something we’ve lived with every day since the incident.”1
