Fla. Lifeguard Aids Drowning Man, Gets Fired

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A lifeguard who helped save a drowning man outside of his assigned patrol area was fired by his employer.

CBS Station WFOR reports that Tomas Lopez was fired Monday by Orlando-based Jeff Ellis and Associates because he broke a company rule and could have put beachgoers in his section of Hallandale Beach in jeopardy.

"We have liability issues and can't go out of the protected area," supervisor Susan Ellis told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "What he did was his own decision. He knew the company rules and did what he thought he needed to do."

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