Hero Steps In To Save 9-Year-Old

A weekend fishing trip almost turned deadly for one little girl and now the 9-year-old is thanking the man who saved her life. The News On 6's Jeffrey Smith reports Alyssa McIntire spent Saturday afternoon fishing with her family at Hudson Lake in Bartlesville.

Alyssa was playing with her sisters near a cliff. That's when she fell off into the water below and smacked her head. Alyssa's dad says she's alive because of the fast response of a complete stranger.

"A lot goes through your mind. Like, is she going to make it," said Pete McIntire. "She was bleeding pretty bad. It was all over her shirt and all over my shirt, and him."

The him he's talking about is Josh Clemons.

"I actually went down to the edge, and jumped in this way," said Clemons.

Clemons was at the lake Saturday fishing with his wife and kids. He looked across the way and saw Alyssa fall eight feet into the water below.

"I was walking on cement. And it was slippery. And my foot fell in. And I slipped," said Alyssa.

"I see him yell help. So I just drop the hat, drop the glasses, and jump in," said Clemons.

Within seconds, the stranger jumped in after the bleeding child.

"Wallet, cell phone, money, all in the pockets. Didn't care, didn't even think about it till I was out of the water. A life is more important than material things," said Clemons.

Back at the scene, the two say they're becoming fast friends. McIntire says Clemons's fast action saved Alyssa's life.

Clemons says he's just a regular guy. A good swimmer, who did what anybody would do.

"I don't consider myself a hero. I consider myself right person, right place right time," said Clemons.

The ordinary man did an ordinary thing to save a life. McIntire says that makes him an extraordinary hero.

Alyssa says she still loves to fish, but she doesn't want to ever go back to the same spot at Lake Hudson. She says she'll be more careful playing around the water's edge.