HJR533 Summary

• Commends Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Deputy Wayne Waddell as a nominee for the 2010 Alabama Legislative Medal of Honor for Law Enforcement, Alabama's highest law enforcement award for extraordinary courage in the line of duty.

• On March 7, 2009, at approximately 10:25 p.m., Deputy Waddell responded to a vehicle accident on Highway 140 near the Sipsey Valley River where a vehicle had gone off the roadway and was partially submerged in the swamp.

• Upon learning that the driver's three-year-old child had been missing for approximately 20 minutes, Deputy Waddell immediately entered the frigid water, spotted the child about 30 yards downstream after several minutes, and swam to retrieve the unresponsive child.

• Deputy Waddell carried the child to the shoreline where first responders initiated CPR, demonstrating quick thinking and selfless action that saved the child's life.

• The Alabama Legislature directs that Deputy Waddell receive a copy of this resolution as a token of admiration and esteem; adopted by the House on March 9, 2010, and the Senate on March 23, 2010.