Allen Drew Nelson saved Josephine Harrison from drowning, Dotsero, Colorado, July 14, 2008. Harrison, 36, was separated from her inner tube while floating down the Colorado River, and she lost consciousness in the cold, swift water. Nelson, 29, laborer, had been fishing on a bank of the river and saw her approach. He entered the water for her and, directing his course at an angle to intercept her downstream, bounced off the river’s bed until he was in water over his depth. He then swam to the point at which he intercepted Harrison. Securing a hold of her, Nelson swam to the opposite bank, which was closer, the current taking him and Harrison 200 feet farther downstream. They were aided from the river by others. Harrison required hospital treatment, and she recovered. Nelson was tired and cold after the rescue, and he too recovered.
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