John Chase

John Chase rescued Joseph Radtke from drowning, Vail, Colorado, July 17, 2023. Radtke, 80, had been fishing and tried to cross Gore Creek at a shallow point with his dog. After pulling the dog back from deeper water, he fell to his knees and the current then swept him into rapids, where he was rendered unconscious. The creek carried his body downstream, headfirst and facedown, as he struck rocks numerous times. Chase, 53, an attorney, was biking on the trail 75 feet above the creek with his wife and saw Radtke being swept downstream. He jumped onto his bike, raced 600 feet on the path to a gap in a high fence to get ahead of Radtke, then slid down the steep embankment to the 56-degree water, and waded out to a rock in the middle of the creek. From there, he jumped into the water to intercept the unconscious Radtke as he passed, grasping him with one arm while paddling with the other. The current swept the two downstream about 225 feet until Chase gained enough of a foothold in a shallower, calmer area to maneuver Radtke, who was about Chase’s size, to the shore with the help of a bystander. Radtke was not breathing. Chase started CPR until first responders took over and revived him. Radtke was hospitalized for six days but made a full recovery. Chase was bruised but recovered.