Adam Houghton, center, fills out a statement Thursday night after he helped rescue a man injured in a rollover accident on Fifth Street. The car landed in a ditch and Houghton held the man's head out of the water until he could be cut from the car. Houghton and his parents Pam and Roy were driving in front of the man when he lost control. Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
It was pure adrenaline that caused Adam Houghton to react to a car accident behind him and helped him save the life of an 83-year-old Dayton man just after 7 p.m. Thursday.
Houghton, a 2006 Carson High graduate who just completed his first year at the University of Nevada, Reno, was driving with his parents on East Fifth Street when the car behind him lost control and overturned in a ditch.
The driver of the car drifted off the roadway, overcorrected and flipped over into the opposite ditch, which was filled with water.
"When it happens, you just stop, run over there and look to see what you can do to help," Houghton said. "I wasn't really thinking, I just reacted."
When he got to the car, Houghton saw that the driver was restrained by the seat belt with his head below water level.
"His head was braced down into the water, so I just tried to help hold his head up. Then someone gave me a knife and we cut the seat belt, which made it easier," Houghton said.
Houghton stayed with the man until the ambulance arrived, helping hold his head for approximately 10 minutes.
Carson City Sheriff's Department Sgt. Mike Cullen said the man was not injured but was taken to Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center as a precaution.
"(Houghton) did a good job keeping the guy's head above water," Cullen said.
Houghton said that a lot of people helped following the accident, he just happened to be the first one to get to the car.
"I just pray that I will be able to do the right thing when it's needed," Houghton said.
• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.