Published : Wednesday, 11 Jan 2012, 1:39 PM CST
By Alice Wolke | MYFOXDFW.COM
SARASOTA, Florida – A kayaker rescued an injured and exhausted dog from the waters off the Florida coast after the animal fled a deadly car accident — and it was all caught on tape.
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The dog’s owner, 56-year-old Donna Chen of Sarasota, was killed Saturday by an alleged drunk driver as she was walking “Barney,” according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Investigators say the dog ran from the scene in confusion and pain and must have jumped in the Gulf.
Fisherman Rory O’Conner was in his yellow kayak several hundred yards off Siesta Key with a video camera mounted on the watercraft. In a video he posted on YouTube, O’Conner was stunned to suddenly see a dog, later identified as Barney, swim up to his boat.
He pulled the dog aboard, noting the animal was shivering and bleeding. As Barney huddled in the back of the kayak, O’Conner headed toward a few nearby boats to see if anyone knew anything about the dog.
“He had to swim pretty far, and he was pretty beat up,” O’Conner told WFTS-TV in Tampa. “His paw was bleeding and he had a bunch of scrapes.”
O’Conner eventually landed his boat on a small beach and contacted his sister, who was nearby. Together they got Barney to a vet, where the dog’s embedded microchip helped identify him.
Chen’s family members said they received the devastating news of her death and the happier news of Barney’s rescue almost simultaneously.
“I think Barney coming back to us was a total miracle,” said Dr. Wellington Chen, the victim’s husband.
Police say 22-year-old Blake Talman faces DUI manslaughter and other charges . Investigators believe Talman was fleeing the scene of another accident when his vehicle struck and killed Chen. His bond is set at $100,000.
Read more on myFOXdfw.com: Kayaker Saves Injured Dog from Sea