COLLINSVIILLE, Okla — "Little did we know, Jeremy and Ken. Jeremy had experienced problems with his mask. It was filling with water so he wasn't able to see," Paula Turner said.
It was that equipment malfunction that made Jeremy Fern resurface from deep waters and head back to the Zodiac boat. That's when he heard startling screams for help.
Turner said, "He got to the boat Dave and I were in. I was unconscious at that point. And was able fortunately to perform CPR immediately on me."
Jeremy has been an emergency medical technician since 2007. It was his fast action and resilient effort credited for saving Paula Turner's life.
He performed CPR and other life saving techniques for over an hour until they were back on shore, but Paula was not out of the woods yet.
"And then we waited on the naval base for about three hours, um for a plane to arrive from Cabo San Lucas to take her back to Cabo San Lucas to a hospital," said Jeremy Fern.
Jeremy said that twas the first time he's ever had mask problems, and contributes it to a much higher power.
"I definitely believe it was God putting us where he wanted us at that time," Fern said.
As for Paula's second chance at life, "My life is very full. I'm very lucky for that and thankful for that. I'm not ever gonna take anything for granted."
Paula turner said she won't be doing anymore diving in the future. As for Jeremy, he was just doing what he is trained to do and is happy he was there when someone needed him.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android and Kindle devices.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
