4 days ago
Heroic flash flood victim, 22, used his last bit of strength to save best friend before being swept to his death
A young man who lost his life in a flash flood saved his childhood best friend in his last act of service on Earth.
Cohen Turner, 22, died on Sunday in an Alabama flood, the Turkey Heaven Volunteer Fire Department confirmed.
Cohen and his friend were driving in the early hours of the morning when their vehicle was submerged in a creek, his uncle announced.
The two escaped the vehicle through the sunroof, but Cohen's friend went underwater.
'His friend went under and his last actions were that of abandoning his own safety and pushing his friend to a tree for safety,' Cohen's uncle, Danny, wrote on social media.
'A heroic act by everyone's definition. Cohen was then swept under afterwards.'
Danny said his nephew's body was later found by emergency personnel, and the family was notified of the tragedy.
'No greater act of selflessness than to give your life for another. Keep our family, especially his father Jay and mother Robin in your prayers,' Cohen's uncle added.
Danny, a police officer in the area, told the local Alabama outlet, Advance Local, 'To be a 22-year-old and be so selfless to give your life to help a friend, it's unheard of in these times.'
He said Cohen was sleeping in the passenger's side of the car while his friend drove when the flash flood engulfed them.
They were only a few miles away from Cohen's home when the flooding pinned their vehicle against a guardrail and gave out to the creek.
'Cohen tells his friend they need to go to the right because there's going to be less water over there and they had a better chance of making it to land,' Danny told AL.
'They jumped off together.'
Cohen helped his friend find safety in a tree. 'Anybody who has ever been in the water knows that if you push somebody up, you're pushing yourself down at the same time,' Danny said.
'Cohen went under.'
Danny said that rescue workers found Cohen's friend safe in a tree. He added that Cohen's body was located not too far behind.
He said that it seemed like Cohen had made it to a safe place, but was trapped by a fallen tree.
'Any one of the circumstances he would have prevailed, but with it being rapid fire problem after problem being thrown his way, the totality of the circumstances made it where he couldn't prevail,' Cohen's uncle said.
Since Danny had served as a police officer for over 30 years, authorities notified him of his nephew's death first.
'Our family is completely devastated by the loss of such an incredible person,' he added.
Cohen was born on December 30, 2002 in Georgia and loved hunting, fishing, and helping others, according to his obituary.
His uncle said that after graduating from high school, he worked rigging scaffolding on buildings in Atlanta.
Cohen is survived by his mother and father, Robin and Jay Turner, siblings Colt Stephens and Haven Turner, and his niece and nephew, Maddox and Sadie Stephens.
He is also survived by his grandmother, Judy Turner, and his 'soulmate,' Cera Brewer.
Cohen's girlfriend, Cera, posted a tribute on social media that read, 'My heart is shattered. My boyfriend, my love, my best friend, is gone far too soon. There are no words big enough to explain the pain, or to describe how much he meant to me.'
'He made me feel safe, loved, and truly seen. His laughter, his warmth, the way he looked at me—I will carry it all with me, always,' she continued.
