UPS Driver Speaks Out About Attempt To Save Man From Frozen Pond

The UPS driver who tried to save a drowning man from an icy pond talked only with News on 6.

1/5/2018 Related Story: Man's Body Recovered From Ice-Covered Catoosa Pond

The good Samaritan talked about the moment he dove into the icy water.

Temperatures are no longer hovering above freezing, but the pond is still iced over. Kali Allen said it was a scary moment when he jumped in to save the man, but it is a day he'll never forget. 

Allen said he was sitting inside his UPS truck, ready to make another delivery, when a woman started pounding on his window to get his attention. 

"And someone comes up to me, a neighbor, and she asked I think someone is in the pond and I think he needs help," Allen Said.  

He said that's when he spotted a familiar face, struggling to escape the icy pond. 

"I knew who the guy was and I'm hollering his name and he's not responding verbally to me," Allen said. 

He said while the neighbor called 911, he ran onto the thin ice, then jumped in, hoping to save the drowning man. 

"When I saw him go under it's like ... forget safety! I'm just going to see if I can get him, and I couldn't," Allen said.  

With his family and loved ones in mind, Allen desperately punched through the ice trying to get himself out.
He was in the frigid water for about 10 minutes before firefighters pulled him out, but they couldn't get to the drowning man.

Allen said he would do it all over again if it meant he could help save a life. 

"If I would have just stood there and did nothing and wait I probably would have felt worse. I had to do what I get God had me just do," he said. 

Allen is recovering from hypothermia and injuries in his hands but is expected to be okay.