Katherine Lee Osiecki saved a woman from drowning, Amagansett, New York, April 21, 2013. At night, a 57-year-old woman cried for help while treading water in Napeague Bay, off Long Island Sound, at a point about 225 feet from shore. Osiecki, 21, university student, who lived nearby, heard her and with her boyfriend responded to the beach, where, with the aid of a flashlight, they saw the woman bobbing in the water. Osiecki removed her outer attire and entered the water, the temperature of which was 47 degrees. She waded and then swam to the woman, who reached out as if to grab Osiecki. Osiecki submerged to avoid contact, and then, positioning the woman to float on her back, she reached across the woman’s chest and, supporting her with her hip, swam back to shore, guided by the flashlight. In wadable water, Osiecki stood and helped the woman walk to the beach. The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment. Osiecki, cold and tired, sustained cuts to her feet, and she recovered.
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