Lenny Skutnick
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Lenny Skutnick is an American civil servant, who became famous for an act of heroism when he leaped into the Potomac River to rescue a survivor of the Air Florida crash, on January 13, 1982.
Air Florida Flight 90 took off from Washington National Airport on a snowy day, without adequate de-icing measures before departure. The overweight aircraft was unable to stay aloft, and struck the 14th street bridge, before plunging into the icy waters of the Potomac river.
Skutnick was one of a crowd of onlookers who watched as a helicopter attempted to lift survivors out of the water. When one woman failed to grasp the rescue harness, Skutnick jumped into the water, swam to her, and brought her to the shore.
Ronald Reagan hailed Skutnick's heroic act in his 1982 state of the union address. The use of people as props during these speeches has become expected and such special guests are referred to by speechwriters as "Lenny Skutnicks".
See also Lenny Skutnik