A recent rescue on the Ottawa River saved a man’s life.
At 2:46 a.m. on Saturday, January 11, Alfred and Plantagenet firefighters responded to a 911 call about a snowmobiler who had fallen into the Ottawa River, near the mouth of the Nation River.
The firefighters had to travel three kilometres along the river in the fog before finding the exact location of the snowmobiler, who was in his mid-fifties.
The fog had prevented the man from seeing a hole in the ice while crossing the river. He was clinging to the edge of ice, trying to keep his head out of the water, and waving his cell phone flashlight to attract the attention of the firefighters.
It took about 10 minutes for the firefighters to remove the man from the freezing water. The task was difficult because of the extra weight from his snowmobile boots and clothing being filled with water.
The man was taken to hospital with severe hypothermia and put in intensive care. He remained in hospital as of Tuesday but was out of intensive care by then.
The Township of Alfred and Plantagenet reminds people to stay off the ice in mild weather conditions.
