LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington man said he tried his hardest to save a kayaker who drowned at Jacobson Park Sunday.
"I've lived here my whole life and it was probably the most amount of people I've ever seen there," said Greg Spaulding
Spaulding was fishing with his family Sunday when he heard a commotion, and someone shouting "help" in the water.
"I looked up and I saw a gentleman in the water, his head and his hands and then I saw an empty kayak," Spaulding said.
Spaulding said he reacted without thinking. He said he took off his shoes, emptied his pockets, and took off into the water where 28-year-old Nicholas Davis was struggling to stay above water.
"I got about two-thirds of the way to him and realized I was exhausted, cold, and started contemplating my actions," he said.
Spaulding said another nearby kayaker got to him, just as he realized he was in trouble himself.
"I still had hope that I could get him. He wasn't having it. He was like, 'Man, he's gone,' which was very much in hindsight, probably true at that point."
Spaulding was able to get back to safety and feels for Davis' family. He said the experience has made him shift his priorities and he was also troubled by comments he saw online, suggesting people didn't care enough about what was happening to help. He wants Davis' family to know the people out there Sunday cared and did all they could.
"What I saw was a young man who wanted to get home to somebody, or multiple people, and I just tried to help him do that," Spaulding said.
