Memorial race to honor victims

Farming is dangerous work and something as simple as checking the cows can and did lead to an accident that nearly cost a Moundville man his life.

David Daniels had stopped on a bridge over the creek to check his cows, but when he got ready to leave, he said, the "old truck wouldn't start."

Daniels called neighbor and friend, Kenny Brundridge, who drove out to where Daniels was -- about three and a half miles west of Moundville -- to give Daniels some much needed assistance.

As it turned out, the men could not get the truck started, so they decided to hook a chain to it and pull it back.

Brundridge stayed in the truck while Daniels crawled under to attach the chain. When he thought Daniels had finished, he got out to make sure it was OK to take out the slack.

Daniels was nowhere to be seen.

"I heard splashing in the water," so I ran down under the bridge."

Brundridge knew he had found Daniels when he saw his coat in the water. He waded into the waist- deep, moving water to get a hold of Daniels.

"He wasn't breathing when I pulled him out," said Brundridge, who quickly called a neighbor, told them what had happened and told them to call an ambulance.

That neighbor called another neighbor, who actually called the ambulance, while the first neighbor went to see if he could help.

As soon as he hung up. Brundridge started CPR. It couldn't have been 30 seconds or a minute before Brundridge "got him breathing."

In the mean time, two or three other neighbors showed up and then an ambulance crew arrived to take Daniels to the hospital.

Neither Daniels or Brundridge know why Daniels ended up in the creek. Daniels only remembers waking up in the hospital. Doctors told him his potassium was low and his blood sugar was high.

Daniels said he had been experiencing some dizziness, and he figured he passed out after standing up too quickly when he finished what he was doing under the truck.

Brundridge seemed to agree, but added that the whole thing happened very quickly and he couldn't remember much of it either.

Although he had no formal CPR training, Brundridge said he was self-taught when he had to use it to save his 2-year-old son. That story also had a happy ending.

Daniels was in the hospital until May 1. He said he is not a lot worse for the wear but does still have some soreness.

"It's still got me drained," he said.

Brundridge and Daniels have been neighbors and friends for more than 20 years.

Daniels said his family and his boys all thanked Brundridge and when he thanked him personally, Brundridge simply replied, "I know you'd have done it for me."