Matthew Richard Kupec saved Jonathan E. Knoll and David C. Weikle from drowning, Hinckley, Ohio, March 16, 1991. Jonathan, 12, and David, 10, were on the ice of Hinckley Lake, which was partially frozen. At a point about 40 feet from the bank, they broke through and fell into the frigid water. Kupec, 18, college student, was nearby on the bank and saw the accident. He immediately walked onto the ice a short distance and grasped a tree branch, then, as the ice cracked beneath him, he lay on his stomach and maneuvered the remaining distance to the boys. Using the branch, Kupec rescued them from the open water, but he himself broke through while doing so. With the boys on solid ice, Kupec left the water, but after repeated attempts, as the ice broke under his weight. Kupec and the boys crawled to the bank. David sustained an ear infection, but he recovered.
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