Gerold Prather

Gerold Prather rescued a boy from drowning, Sawyer, Michigan, May 15, 2022. The boy, 16, was struggling to remain above the surface of Lake Michigan in a state park as beachgoers heard his 15-year-old cousin, also in the water, call for help at a point closer to shore. Two others with them, the boy’s teenage friends, submerged. The water was dangerously cold and no lifeguards were stationed in the park. Alarmed on the beach, Prather, 22, robotic welder, ran into the lake and swam to the boy in deep water as others helped the cousin to safety at the beach. Prather reached the boy and they submerged and resurfaced. Ultimately, Prather, with difficulty, pushed the boy back toward the beach as he swam, then positioned the boy onto his back and towed him. As he tired and reached wadable some distance out, Prather shouted for help. A man reached them and helped Prather, carrying the boy on his back, wade to the beach. First-responders took the boy, who was noticeably affected by his lengthy exposure to the cold water, to the hospital, along with the cousin. Firefighters on rescue boats later located the boy’s friends, both of whom had drowned.