Arnprior man rescues two girls from drowning at Robert Simpson Park
It was a typical Sunday evening for Arnprior resident Steve McGonigal.
He brought his family to the beach at Robert Simpson Park in Arnprior, west of Ottawa, but the quiet visit was interrupted by pleas for help.
Two young girls, no older than 10-years-old, had drifted from the shore and fallen off their inflatable water toy.
"Betty and Louis (witnesses) starting screaming, they’re struggling, they’re drowning. And then I heard Chris (witness) and there was just an alarm in his voice. He said, Oh my god they’re drowning," McGonigal recounts. "One of them was over their head."
McGonigal says it was then, without thought, that he leaped into action from the parking lot.
"I went flying over this wall," McGonigal said, describing the wall of boulders separating the beach parking lot from the rocky shore. "I went out and grabbed the one girl, and I turned to come in and she started screaming, 'My sister, my sister.'"
That’s when the 59-year-old lifelong Arnprior resident realized there was a second girl in the water.
"I turned in the water and there was a little girl who was looking up at me from the water, and she was not struggling anymore to come up," says McGonigal. "I looked down and I grabbed her and I clutched them both, and I brought them in.”
McGonigal says while he was out in the water, another bystander called 911 and an ambulance arrived on the scene.
"(Paramedics) checked them out and one of them did have water in her lungs, she was aspirating. So they took her and treated her, and thank God everyone was okay."
McGonigal says he doesn’t know who either of the girls are, but that he’s had nightmares about the incident since it happened a week ago and hopes the telling of the events will make people more aware when around water.
"Maybe it was supervision and maybe it was other factors, but I think hopefully it brings an awareness to water safety and just how quick it can happen."
"I’m grateful that the bystanders took such immediate and swift action to rescue these young girls," says Graeme Ivory, Arnprior's Director of Recreation. "We can’t thank them enough for jumping to their rescue and being aware of the danger that presented itself."
There were no lifeguards on duty at the time of the event and the buoys marking the safe swimming zone was not put in place yet. Ivory says the beach isn’t staffed this early in the season.
"Typically our beach opens officially on the first of July. So that’s when our lifeguards begin their patrolling and buoy lines typically go in a week before we open up our beach."
Ivory says this year, lifeguards will be on duty starting June 21.
With the buoys in place now, Ivory says it is always important to be alert around water even if there are lifeguards on duty.
"First and foremost, always be within arms reach of your child. If they are not strong swimmers they should always have some type of floatation device, a PFD on them," said Ivory, adding you should never swim at night, and never swim alone.
"And regardless of your child’s swimming ability, accidents can happen around water. That’s just the reality of things."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.