Benny A. Carpenter, Jr., died helping to save James M. H. Bricker from drowning, Toledo, Ohio, July 6, 2001. Bricker, 45, was on a boating outing on Lake Erie with his brother-in-law, Carpenter, 33, press operator, and Carpenter’s family. Disabled and adrift, the party’s boat was about four miles from the closest point on shore when Bricker attempted to return to the boat after entering the water. He called for help as the boat drifted away from him. Carpenter threw the free end of a rope to Bricker, but it fell short of Bricker’s reach, as did a lifejacket that Carpenter then threw. Carpenter removed his shoes, dived into the water, and, retrieving the lifejacket, swam to Bricker. The men held onto the lifejacket and each other as they struggled to remain afloat. They became separated after several minutes, and Carpenter submerged. Bricker was rescued shortly by a boat that responded to the scene. Carpenter’s body was recovered from the lake three days later; he had drowned.
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