It was supposed to be an ordinary afternoon — but what happened next turned into an unforgettable act of bravery.
Witnesses on the bridge in Louisiana watched in shock as a silver sedan suddenly lost control, skidding off the road and plunging straight into the river below. The vehicle sank fast, with only the roof and flashing hazard lights visible above the surface.
Before anyone could even react, one man — later identified as 27-year-old James Carter — dropped his phone, kicked off his shoes, and jumped straight into the freezing water.
“I didn’t even think about it,” he later told reporters. “All I knew was someone was in that car, and time was running out.”
As the car began to disappear under the current, Carter fought his way through the murky water, pulling open a door that was already jammed by pressure. Inside, a terrified woman was trapped, pounding on the window and gasping for air.
Using a pocket knife from his belt, he managed to shatter the glass and drag her out seconds before the car fully submerged.
Emergency crews arrived moments later and pulled both of them to safety. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Local authorities and witnesses are calling James Carter a hero, though he insists he’s just “a regular guy who did what anyone should do.”
The moment, captured on cellphone video by bystanders, has since gone viral — reminding the world that true courage doesn’t hesitate — it acts.