TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Survivor Thanks Good Samaritan

ADVERTISEMENT

By LAURA FRAZIER

lfrazier@tampatrib.com

Published: December 11, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Bob and Cindy Walker didn't take a pet to their appointment Tuesday at Central Animal Hospital. Instead, they took a belt and hearts filled with gratitude.

At the scene of a serious accident a year ago on U.S. 98 near Brooksville, veterinarian Mark Brown, who owns the animal hospital, pulled off the road and used his belt as a tourniquet on Bob Walker's arm, which had been severed just below the elbow.

Brown stayed with Walker until paramedics came to airlift him to Tampa General Hospital, where doctors told Cindy Walker that her husband would have bled to death "within minutes" if not for Brown's quick thinking.

For the one-year anniversary of Brown's selfless act, the Walkers made an appointment to see the veterinarian Tuesday morning, posing as clients with a new puppy. Their real purpose was to express their thanks and present him with a gift - a custom, Western-style belt made from black buffalo skin to replace the makeshift tourniquet they assumed had been ruined.

Brown was surprised to find Walker waiting for him in an exam room, and Walker was astonished to see Brown wearing the same belt that saved his life.

Brown said he would put the gift to good use.

"Maybe I can save somebody with this belt, too," he said.

Walker, who is learning to use a prosthetic left arm and high-tech hand attachment, used his right arm to hug the man who saved his life.

"You are just my hero," he said.

Photojournalist Julie Busch contributed to this report. Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT