Man paralysed and fighting for life after saving girl

A man has been left paralysed and fighting for his life after diving into a creek in northwest Georgia to save a 4-year-old girl who was in danger of drowning.

Rockmart Fire Department Sgt Chad King says 43-year-old Michael Patterson was visiting Euharlee Creek with his son when the girl went underwater.

Authorities say the girl had been playing in the creek and appeared to step into a section of deep water. Officials say Patterson dived into the water and was able to rescue the girl, but hit his head during the dive and was critically injured.

He was taken to a hospital and doctors say the man is now paralysed from the chest down.

Vicki Davis, Patterson’s mother, says he recently started a job installing sheet rock and doesn’t have health insurance.

A Facebook appeal has been set up to help Patterson, whose family are struggling to meet the cost of his medical care.

Patterson’s mother said her son broke his neck in three places and severed his spine after diving into shallow water to rescue Carlisa Jones’ four-year- old daughter.

Ms Jones told Fox Atlanta: “In the water, all I saw was the top of her head, and I was just yelling, ‘Grab her. Somebody grab her’.”

She said Mr Patterson didn’t hesitate to dive in.

Amid the girl’s rescue, witnesses failed to notice Patterson got into difficulty and may have been floating face down for up to three minutes.

He is now in Redmond Regional Medical Centre, fighting for his life in intensive care.

Ms Jones said: “He’s a godsend basically. He was there. He was supposed to have been there.”

Mr Patterson’s mother Vicki Jones said: “I have no doubt in my mind he would do it all over again.”

Mr Patterson had started a new job as a contractor — without medical insurance — two weeks before the incident, which happened near the Silver Comet Trail to the north west of Atlanta. His family hopes to get him into Atlanta’s Shepherd Centre for rehabilitation.

They said their funds are limited as Mr Patterson’s father has cancer and his grandfather is bedridden.

The Facebook page ‘Friends of Mike Patterson’ has had almost 3,000 likes since it was set up on Monday.