Krista D. Girvan

Krista D. Girvan saved a girl from drowning, Edmonton, Alberta, July 17, 2008. A teenaged girl wading along the bank of the North Saskatchewan River entered water beyond her depth and was carried downstream by a swift current. She tired in her attempts to return to the bank. Girvan, 25, nursing student, was walking along the bank in that vicinity when she heard cries for help and then saw the girl in the river. Telling others nearby to call for help, Girvan ran along the bank after the girl. When she saw that the girl was having trouble staying afloat, Girvan concluded there was not enough time for rescuers to arrive. She removed her shoes, entered the river, and swam to the girl. She grasped her and, despite her training as a lifeguard, struggled against the current as she towed her to the bank, the current taking them several hundred feet downstream. Rescue personnel aided them from the water and provided treatment. Girvan was fatigued, but she recovered.