Tag: RESCUES

SURVIVAL: Esther Wang, 16, walks out of Canadian wilderness after frantic search

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Esther Wang, 16, walks out of Canadian wilderness after frantic search

https://nypost.com/2023/07/02/esther-wang-16-walks-out-of-canadian-wilderness-after-frantic-search/

Lost 16-year-old hiker walks out of Canadian wilderness on her own after frantic 54-hour search
By Patrick Reilly  — July 2, 2023 12:44am Updated

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A 16-year-old girl who went missing after getting separated from her hiking group in the Canadian wilderness was found safe after a frantic 54-hour search, officials said.

Esther Wang was found in Golden Ears Park in British Columbia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Friday.

“She is healthy, she is happy and she is with family,” RCMP Superintendent Wendy Mehat said in a statement.

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​Happy ending and a great survival story. Apparently well prepared and didn’t panic. Figured her own way out. Very impressive. Not sure I’d do as well.​

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INSPIRATIONAL: His fate was seal-ed.

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https://nypost.com/2022/02/17/california-man-who-fell-off-his-boat-thought-hed-die-until-seal-helped-him-swim-to-safety/

California man survives frigid five-hour night swim with a friendly seal as his guide
By Yaron Steinbuch
February 17, 2022 12:35pm  Updated

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His fate was seal-ed.

A California man thought he would die when he fell off his fishing boat and into the frigid Pacific Ocean — but a friendly harbor seal showed up in the nick of time and helped get him to safety.

Scott Thompson, a sea urchin diver, blamed a lapse in judgment for the mishap that sent him falling off his boat into the Santa Barbara Channel in the middle of the night last month.

“I thought to myself, ‘Great, this is how I’m going to die. Today is the day I’m going to die,’” Thompson, who was wearing nothing but his shorts and T-shirt at the time, told KABC-TV.

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“Even putting on a wet suit, being prepared, getting in that water, and swimming to the platform was horrendous,” Paul Amaral, president of towing company Channel Watch Marine told KABC.

“I can’t imagine being in the water with shorts and a T-shirt at night. There was no moon, I mean it was pitch black,” he said.

In his post, Thompson wrote: “I’m a believer that there is a higher power now. I don’t know what it is, but there is a power greater than me. That was shown to me and I will never doubt that for the rest of my life.”

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Guess someone can enumerate for all us land lubbers what this fellow did wrong.  I’ve read about dolphins and porpoises rescuing sailors adrift and downed military pilots.  It was always chalked up to the animals being “playful”.  But, maybe it’s just “Guardian Angels” is wet form.

In any event, an inspirational story.

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INSPIRATIONAL: Woman saves three fishermen by calling for a rescue

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://nypost.com/2022/02/04/3-fishermen-rescued-thanks-to-sharp-eyed-911-caller/

Three fishermen rescued off coast of Massachusetts thanks to sharp-eyed woman who called 911
By Associated Press
February 4, 2022 10:04am

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SCITUATE, Mass. — Three fishermen who clung to debris in the frigid waters off the coast of Massachusetts for nearly an hour after their boat sank survived thanks to a sharp-eyed woman on shore who was the only person to call 911.

The 55-foot (16.75-meter) Bing Bing went down so fast about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from shore on Tuesday afternoon that the crew didn’t have time to don survival suits or even make a distress call.

“The whole boat flipped over; I was thrown in the water,” crew member Joe Roderick told WCVB-TV from his hospital bed, where he was recovering from hypothermia and from swallowing saltwater and diesel fuel. The other two crew members also required hospitalization.

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Kudos to this lady, who saw something and said something.  To save three souls is inspiring.  The Talmud teaches, “He who saves a single life, saves the world entire.”  Not exactly sure what that means, but I know there are three men who would agree.

From my fat old white guy injineer’s perspective, should not boats, especially commercial ones, have an automatic alert system?  Sort of like an airliner’s black box or transponder.  If the boat goes down, it should be calling for help with a location — no human intervention required.

In any event, these fellows were lucky she was “on duty” watching over them like an unseen Guardian Angel.

And, speaking up like this, about a life saving event, is certainly not being a “Karen” and the MYOB rule is not applicable in this situation.  I am waiting for my turn to “save a life” or, even deliver a baby.  (Have to not waste that USAF air survival training. Laugh!)

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