Q: How did Mike Patterson save the 4-year-old girl after he was paralyzed?
— Virginia Lawrence, College Park
A: Witnesses aren't sure how Patterson helped save Javea Jones from being swept away by the current or drowning in Euharlee Creek on June 8. Doctors have said Patterson, who died June 28, broke his neck when he dove into the creek near the Silver Comet Trail at the Rockmart Dam to try to rescue Jones. "The way I understand it, Mr. Patterson was able to get the child to the bank and then he turned over face down in the water," Rockmart Police Chief Keith Sorrells told Q&A on the News in an email. "I don't know if it was adrenaline or what." Witnesses pulled Patterson from the water after they realized he hadn't made it to shore. "They don't know how (he saved her)," Patterson's mother, Vicki Jones Roberson, told The Cedartown Standard. "The little girl was at the bottom, but they saw something push her up. They got the little girl and they didn't realize what happened to Michael."
Q: Did Nik Wallenda legally take his mother’s name or does he use it only for performance purposes?
— Kathy McDonough, Peachtree Corners
A: Wallenda legally took his mother's name, according to DSW Entertainment, which manages him. Nik, who walked across the Little Colorado River Gorge, near the Grand Canyon, on June 23, is the son of Delilah Wallenda and Terry Troffer. He is the seventh generation of Wallendas, who gained fame through circus performances, balancing acts and tightrope walking.
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