Posted on 06/29/2016 1:49:15 AM PDT by Ketill Frostbeard
KAMLOOPS - Nicole Mulcahy and Betty Timuss were having dinner in their home along Heffley Creek Saturday evening when they heard what sounded like two animals fighting.
The first time they heard it, they didn't think much of it. But then they heard it again. This time it was clearl. A girl yelling "I can't swim! Help!"
Timuss got her binoculars out and spotted the girl floating in the North Thompson River, only her head visible. Mulcahy ran across her back yard onto the dirt road in front of their home, where she saw her neighbours Avtar and Paul Hothi.
"I'm running as fast as I possibly can with no shoes on," Mulcahy said.
She whistled for the men and told them someone was drowning. Without hesitation, Avtar, Paul and four workers from a farm next door ran down a path and to the river bank where they had clear sight of the girl in the water.
Avtar, a Sikh, thought on his feet, and took his turban off to help pull the girl in.
"He threw his turban in. It's probably about 10 or 12 feet," Mulcahy said. "And then he pulled her in."
Timuss was still inside, gathering blankets and a skipping rope in case the girl floated down closer to her.
"You don't think in that situation," Timuss said. "All you're doing is trying to save that person in the water."
Timuss and Mulcahy say Avtar is a hard working man, who is always out in the fields of his farm.
"I said to him 'That's really using your head, Avtar'," Mulcahy said with a laugh. "Everybody pitched in, it's such a good community out here."
The girl was pulled to safety with no injuries other than being a little cold. Timuss wrapped her up in a blanket and Avtar drove her home.
A “hero” would have jumped in to save her. Using a turban is like using a rope.
The Red Cross teaches life guards,”Reach, row,throw,go”. This person may not have been a strong enough swimmer to drag the victim back, but he did bring her ashore.
It didn’t end in an honor killing...no muslims involved.
Yeah a hero would have jumped in and drown with her.
The important point is to save the person—not to do something that looks heroic.
If the rope method didn’t work or wasn’t available, jumping in might very well be in order, but it is much more risky to both parties—not only might the rescurer be drowned (most likely unintentionally by the first person in), but a drowned rescuer really isn’t much use.
Yeah, but throwing her a rope doesn’t make him a hero.
He’s Sikh, most are good people just waiting to become Christians. Thank God this story has a happy ending.
Yeah, he’s such a slacker loser for saving her/s
No sh!t Sherlock. That's not what I meant. Calling what he did "heroic" is a misuse of the term.
Yeah, and having the ability to post on FR doesn't mean that you have any intelligence or relevance either. You're obviously just a loser.
In the drowning woman’s eyes he most certainly is a hero for saving her.
Cool, I knew when I saw the headline that the good guy was a sikh. A towel wouldn't have reached, one would think.
You might ax the girl’s opinion before popping off like that.
Too bad Vikings didn’t wear turbans; they seem to have alternative uses for survivalists...
Possible a few fashionable Vikings in the Varangian Guards assigned to the Eastern Emperor in Constantinople might have adopted them ;)
Um, you’re the only one coming to your defense. Not a positive sign dude.......
I once saved my 10 year old nephew from drowning by swimming with him undertow. Today is my 71st. B/Day, I doubt very much that I could do it again, we’d both wind up drowning and I’d be wishing, “If I only had a rope or something similar handy”.
I may not meet the above freeper's high standards, but I've been known to call people "my hero" for opening the child-proof cap on a medicine vial.
Rescue of the non-swimmer often requires subduing the victim with a hold from behind, to avoid becoming subject to their panicked behavior. This requires a strong swimmer to make way to shore encumbered with one or more limbs involved with a holding action. Much less difficulty for a solo rescue swimmer, if the drowning victim has ceased struggle, as long as effective CPR can be immediately applied.
Yeah, but drowning would. I bet if it was you in the river drowning and he threw you a rope you would refuse to grab it, because he didn’t have the guts to jump in and save you.
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