Kevin Pratt saved Wayne L. Howe from drowning, Portland, Oregon, March 4, 2012. Fully clothed, Howe, 37, struggled to stay afloat while attempting to swim from the bank of the Willamette River to a dock about 100 feet out. Bicycling, Pratt, 31, care provider and college student, was on the bank in the vicinity and saw Howe’s difficulty. He ran to the river, removed his outer attire, and dived into the 42-degree water. Pratt swam to Howe, reaching him at a point about 75 feet from the bank, grasped him, and stroked back to the bank, towing him. He dragged Howe, who was unconscious by then, from the water and worked to revive him. Howe was hospitalized two days for treatment of nearly drowning, and he recovered. Pratt was cold after the rescue but did not require medical treatment.
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