Weekend rescue on Lake Ontario

A 17-year old from Grimsby nearly died over the weekend after he headed out on Lake Ontario in a homemade boat. The teen was testing it out on the water when it started to sink. A couple watching from shore saw the boy struggling and saved him just in time.

Marlene and Don Hart just happened to be home Sunday afternoon. When Marlene noticed a teenager in a hommade plywood boat in Lake Ontario about 100 metres from her backyard.

Marlene: “It was one of those bathtub race boats.”

Not only did this teen have a homemade boat that looked like a box — he didn’t have a proper paddle. Onlookers say he was trying to maneuver that thing with a took that looked like a hoe. The wind kicked up. the current was carrying him away from shore. He couldn’t control the boat. It was spinning around. the teen didn’t have a life jacket.

Don: “So he was taking on water. He may have panicked knowing he was going away from shore and decided to jump and swim to shore. That boat was about where he was when he jumped out of the boat.”

Marlene: “I had my jeans on, my socks, running shoes. And I hoofed it over the fence, because I had to go as far as he was.”

Marlene jumped into the water and started swimming towards him. The teen yelled he was tired and had trouble breathing. “I said, keep breathing. But get on your back, so you’re floating.”

Don grabbed the kayak and paddled out to the lad who was now about 500 metres away in water that was only eight degrees: “I threw him a life jacket. He floated on top of the life jacket. I turned around. He grabbed the back of the kayak. I have a rope on the back of the kayak. So I said, grab the rope and I’ll tow you into shore.”

He had trouble getting out of the water he was so exhausted — he was lucky he didn’t drown.

Sgt. Neal Orlando of the Niagara Regional Police: “We are reminding people personal floatation devices are recommended in all
situations when you’re on the water, especially in cold temperatures where your movements are limited after about ten minutes.”

This teen had been in the water for about 15 minutes. He was treated for exposure at hospital. If the Hart’s hadn’t been there and jumped in to resuce this teen — tonight, we’d be talking about a tragedy on Lake Ontario.