GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) - David Boutin was stuck successful flood waters for six hours earlier being rescued erstwhile Hurricane Helene swept done the region. Tragically, one of the rescuers, Boone McCrary, mislaid his beingness portion attempting to prevention Boutin.

On Sept. 27, the Nolichucky River flooded into Boutin's home. He described seeing the h2o emergence up his driveway. That's erstwhile helium went extracurricular to propulsion his van to safety. Then, helium went backmost wrong to retrieve his canine "Buddy," compartment telephone and wallet.

"When I went successful the chamber to get him [Buddy], it was ankle deep," Boutin said. "Within a minute, it was up to my waist. And I went extracurricular the location to effort to get to a ladder to get connected the roof. And the stream conscionable took us, took Buddy from my arms. I conscionable went pinning on trees. Every clip I clasp connected to a tree, it'd interruption and I'd conscionable spell downriver adjacent further."

Boutin was stranded successful floodwaters for six hours earlier rescuers reached him.

"I didn't deliberation I was gonna get rescued," Boutin said. "I couldn't spot wherever I was at. I didn't know. All I knew is clasp connected to trees. And if I went retired to the mediate of the river, I wouldn't person made it."

The pursuing day, Boutin learned that Boone McCrary, a rescuer, had gone missing portion trying to prevention him.

McCrary's household knew helium was retired redeeming radical erstwhile they heard his vessel had deed a span and capsized.

McCrary's mother, Debbie Fisher, heard helium was being rescued, truthful she went to cheque astatine Bird's Bridge.

"They came up and I asked, 'are you going to person to transportation Boone up?' So I thought possibly helium was injured," Fisher said. "They said this was Boone. But I said, 'no, that's not my Boone.' And that's erstwhile the nightmare truly started due to the fact that I thought helium was being rescued."

It was really Boutin who was rescued, portion McCrary's assemblage was discovered days later.

Boutin attended McCrary's ceremonial work to wage his respects.

"It lifted a large value disconnected my shoulder, you know, walked up to his casket, enactment my manus connected determination and thanked him for risking his beingness for me," Boutin said.

Boutin said helium is praying for McCrary's household and friends.

"I'm blessed," Boutin said. "He's my guardian angel. I privation it didn't spell down however it did."

Boutin had nary thought McCrary was trying to rescue him.

McCrary's parent and sister said that's conscionable however courageous helium was.

"My member lived beingness to the fullest," Laura Harville, McCrary's sister, said. "He ever enactment himself past and enactment others first. And I deliberation that if you were to look connected societal media, you tin spot that from what others person said. One of his friends that would travel and hunt with him, made a communicative connected Tik-Tok and it was true. He's conscionable a bully aged boy. He'd springiness you the garment disconnected his back."

Fisher agrees. She said each of the devastation, positive losing her son, is precise traumatizing.

"It did my bosom bully to spot each the radical that helium had touched and changed their lives and however overmuch emotion and enactment helium had showed them and kindness," Fisher said. "It does my bosom good, but I inactive would emotion to person Boone present with me. I woke up this morning, I decided it was going to beryllium a amended time due to the fact that Boone would not beryllium blessed if I was conscionable not unneurotic astatine all. I could spot him saying to maine Mom..."

"Don't embarrass me," Harville added.

"Don't beryllium crying and embarrassing me," Fisher said. "And he'd besides archer maine [he would] say, 'Mom, you amended suck it up.'"

Fisher recounted her liver transplant past twelvemonth and however overmuch her lad was determination for her during that time.

Both McCrary's parent and sister are grateful that Boutin is live and was capable to beryllium rescued.

"His beingness is precious and I told him that we're blessed that helium made it retired due to the fact that helium was successful dire straits, too," Fisher said. "And I seen him rescued, and I'm thankful that helium was saved. So Boone made these decisions, but I cognize without a uncertainty if helium knew the outcome, helium would marque that determination again to assistance somebody."

"No doubt, there's nary uncertainty successful my caput that helium would bash it," Harville added.

Harville said she is starting a non-profit successful the representation of her member called "Boone's Brigade." The purpose volition beryllium to assistance others larn outdoor skills, similar hunting, sportfishing and boating. Activities that Boone McCrary enjoyed.

McCrary was besides an exigency country caregiver astatine Greeneville Community East Hospital.

Harville and Fisher are thankful for each of the community's support.

Fisher besides believes it would beryllium adjuvant if section instrumentality enforcement had a liaison to assistance families of missing people.

For Boutin, his location was wholly destroyed. His spot connected Little Indian Creek Road consisted of 3 houses connected a compound that belonged to him, his member and his father. All 3 houses nary longer stand. Belongings are scattered astir the property, and galore were washed distant successful the river. Eight vehicles are a full loss. Boutin spent 10 years, gathering his ain home.

He besides ne'er recovered his dog, Buddy.

"For 4 years, helium was my champion friend," Boutin said. "And helium was conscionable ripped from my arms and I couldn't bash [anything]."

Boutin sustained carnal injuries from the nighttime helium was stuck successful flood waters.

"I went to the infirmary the adjacent time due to the fact that I was getting headaches existent bad," Boutin said. "And they said I had a concussion. I had a bruised thorax and I besides had a respiratory corruption from the river. Still close now, I got migraines that won't spell away. No aesculapian insurance, truthful I can't spell backmost to the doc and get a follow-up."

Boutin has besides been grappling with the intelligence toll of the devastation.

“I person nightmares of that night," Boutin said. "It’s hard, particularly erstwhile the migraines aftermath [me] up successful the morning. With atrocious migraines, but I inactive spell to work. I person to, it’s the lone mode I’m going to rebuild. I conscionable person to support going 1 time astatine a time."

Boutin expressed his tendency to instrumentality to his spot successful immoderate way, possibly successful a camper, houseboat oregon immoderate benignant of home. However, he's inactive not sure.

"I emotion this place. It means everything to me," Boutin said. "I did everything I could to marque this spot nice. And conscionable wrong minutes, everything got torn away. A batch of years of work."

Boutin is presently staying astatine his son's location successful Morristown. He has a donation page acceptable up to assistance rebuild his life.