MUSKEGON, Mich. — A 30-year-old man and his teenage daughter from Saginaw were pulled from Lake Michigan at Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon on Friday, July 5. The girl has recovered but her father remains in critical condition.
"Terry saved two little girls. He deserves to live. He deserves a second chance. He deserves intentional effort," said Terry's girlfriend, Destiny Oglesby.
On Friday, Terry Turner from Saginaw and his family were out enjoying the water at Pere Marquette Beach when he and his 13-year-old daughter disappeared.
"I heard commotion. Well, I turned around, I saw commotion. Something told me that it was somebody I was with. I immediately started running and my son, my oldest son ran to me and said, Mama, we can't find Terry and Nevaeh," said Oglesby.
Oglesby witnessed the near drowning. She said Terry's 13-year-old daughter was struggling and when Terry tried to rescue her, he got sucked under too.
"They brought her back to shore, couldn't find Terry. Everybody on the beach went out, they asked me what his name was. Everybody was chanting his name, you know, so that he can maybe hear us and know which direction to come in. The lifesavers came out with their boats. Then there's the hero that saved him, his name is Brian," said Oglesby.
It was a team effort to bring the father and daughter back to shore and they were given CPR on the beach.
"They worked on him for 12 minutes, couldn't get a pulse. They was trying really trying, very hard for his daughter. They resuscitated her. She came back within two minutes. They brought them both here to the hospital," said `Oglesby.
Terry is still in the hospital and his daughter was released that night. Destiny said he's been paralyzed and sedated for the last few days and has swelling in his brain. She asked everyone to keep Terry in their prayers.
"Everybody loves Terry. That's it. That's how you really sum it up. We just want everybody to come together, if they are believers, to pray or if you know whatever it is," said Oglesby.
Terry Turner remains in critical condition, but his girlfriend said the family is hopeful he'll make a full recovery.
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