COLUMBUS, Ind. – A passerby is credited with assisting a juvenile swimmer after hearing calls for help from the water. The Columbus Fire Department (CFD) used a rescue boat to bring both to a boat ramp for medical evaluation.
A multi-agency water rescue response began following a report of a distressed swimmer at the East Fork of the White River near Mill Race Park on Sunday at around 6:30 p.m. When Columbus firefighters arrived, Columbus Police Department officers advised them they could see two people near the bank north of Mill Race Park’s boat ramp.
Fire crews launched an inflatable rescue boat and met a male juvenile and an adult male standing in the water near the river bank. There were no obvious injuries but firefighters brought the two to the boat ramp where awaiting Columbus Regional Health CMTs could provide medical assessment.
The 13-year-old juvenile shared that he was swimming alone in the water near the confluence of the Driftwood and Flatrock Rivers when he began to struggle and yelled for help. The Good Samaritan who happened to be on the park’s trail heard the cry, located the teen, and entered the water. Once reaching the struggling swimmer, the two floated down the river and ferried to the water’s edge but could not climb up the steep bank. That’s when CFD arrived and assisted the pair into the boat.
A Spokesperson for the Columbus Fire Department said, “We salute the efforts of the passerby for his courageous act of helping this child.”
CFD cautions about the dangers associated with swimming in rivers. Unlike a swimming pool, rivers may have strong currents that can create challenges for even a strong swimmer. Rivers may also contain hidden obstacles not visible above the water that could trap someone and lead to drowning. If in a river, never swim alone and consider a flotation device.
