Krista E. Grosskleg, 40, was wading with her daughter in the Gulf of St. Lawrence at a public beach July 22, 2017, in Inverness, N.S. The pair lost their footing and were carried into deeper water by a rip current. High winds and large waves hampered their return to shore. Grosskleg’s husband entered the water, swam to them, and took their daughter from his wife, as Grosskleg was carried farther out.
Christopher E. Lawless, a 41-year-old manager, of North Sydney, N.S., entered the water with a boogie board, which he gave to the husband and daughter. He then swam to Grosskleg, who was floating on her back and barely conscious at a point 300 feet from shore. Lawless grasped Grosskleg and towed her to shore, a lifeguard and others assisting once they reached wadable water.
Another lifeguard assisted the husband and daughter to safety. Grosskleg was hospitalized for pneumonia and extreme exhaustion; she recovered. Lawless was not injured.
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