Iowa father Robert Joseph Quick gave up his life to save his 5-year-old daughter from being mauled by a large dog -- an act of heroism that has captured national attention.
The young girl was attacked by the dog near a home in Fort Madison, suffering serious injuries. As the New York Post noted, police who were called to the scene arrived to find the 33-year-old man lying on his back in the front yard in the grips of the large dog, which would not release the victim. Officers were then forced to shoot the dog to stop the attack, the report noted.
As the responding officers began to administer aid to the family members, the wounded man then sacrificed himself to save his daughter. He instructed the deputies to treat his daughter instead of him, and officers began giving the girl first aid.
A public statement from the police department said that the father's actions saved the life of his daughter.
"Mr. Quick had defended his daughter and undoubtedly saved her life by his actions," the Lee County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Reports noted that Quick suffered a heart attack on the scene. After his daughter had been treated, Quick was later taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.
