Good Samaritan helps paddlers in distress on the Ottawa River
A Good Samaritan jumped into action on Saturday to help four people who were on paddleboards and heading towards the rapids on the Ottawa River in Ottawa’s west end.
"My boyfriend picked me up on the boat after work and right when we were getting out of the harbour we heard screams of help," said Mikaela Richter, who was near Britannia Beach when the incident happened. "We saw four people on a paddle board heading towards the rapids."
Richter said the four people were headed straight for the Deschenes Rapids when she heard the cries for help.
"We motored as fast as we could towards the rapids to try and grab them before they went over, but unfortunately they were too close to the rapids so I immediately grabbed my phone and called 911," said Richter.
That phone call directed fire officials right to the incident. Officials say the four people fell off the paddleboard in the Ottawa River.
"Luckily all four people were wearing lifejackets so that definitely aided in the rescue of them," said Richter.
When firefighters arrived to the scene, the four people had already gone through the rapids. Richter says she kept her eye on them the entire time, until officials arrived.
The fire crews were able to bring all four people to shore safely and there were no reported injuries.
Barbara Byers of the Lifesaving Society said that wearing lifejackets was a key factor in staying safe.
"Lifejackets are the most important thing you can do to prevent a drowning," said Byers. "We know that by looking at the drowning statistics, 80 per cent of people who drown did not have a life jacket on."
The incident a scary reminder to take boating and water safety very seriously.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.