This C.B.S. man pulled a man from a sinking truck, and was commended with a national medal

A Conception Bay South man was among those who received a Medal of Bravery from Governor General Mary Simon on Thursday, praised for his life-saving efforts pulling a man from a sinking truck.

David Coffey was driving to work in Argentia in the early hours of Nov. 25, 2021, when he noticed a shining light in a place he didn't usually see them in the middle ofPoint Verde Pond just outside Placentia.

"I heard the kind of muffled sound of a horn underwater, and that's when I realized there was someone in the vehicle. Then yeah, I called 911 and jumped in," Coffey told CBC Radio from Ottawa Thursday.

"I didn't really have to think twice about it."

Coffey said he had just reached a place where cell service was accessible, and called 911 before heading into the cold November water. The vehicle hadn't totally sunk by the time he got to the truck. He was able to reach the man and helphim get to safety.

"The man was able to get the window down, and I gave him some instructions to get up on the window on the vehicle. To kind of sit up there. And in those situations, you kind of want to act fast but you also need to give firm instruction. And it could be dangerous, because two people could have drowned that day," he said.

"I got him up onto the side of the vehicle, and I recognized [and] I saw that there were lights coming in the opposite direction. So I told him to stay where he was to, and I swam back and flagged down a vehicle. And the gentleman happened to have a rope in the back of his truck," he continued.

"It's a good sign you're in Newfoundland. Usually everyone has a coil of rope in the back of the truck."

Once the rope was in hand, the man was pulled safely to shore and put into the hands of paramedics, Coffey said.

What did Coffey do next after saving the man? He dried his clothes, went on his way and punched a full day at work, he said.

"Everyone is taught to look out for one another. And yeah, that's all I did that day," he said. "I was in the right place at the right time, I guess. I done what I could to help the man out of the vehicle and get him to safety."

Coffey was one of 40 recipients of medals of bravery at Rideau Hall on Thursday. He called the recognition a tremendous honour, and is grateful the man who he's come to connect with again since is doing well.

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