Obed M. Petties, Jr., died attempting to help save Petter Mattic from drowning, Sterling Heights, Michigan, July 20, 2006. Unconscious, Mattic, 64, remained inside his automobile after it entered a retention pond and began to submerge in water about 15 feet deep at a point about 125 feet from the bank. Motorists nearby, including Petties, 18, construction worker, and two coworkers, stopped at the scene and responded to the bank. The two coworkers and other men swam to the car and worked to gain access to it. When one of them yelled to Petties to get a hammer, he returned to the men’s van and obtained one. Taking the hammer with him, Petties entered the pond and began to swim toward Mattic’s car. Before reaching it, he submerged and did not re-appear. Mattic was removed from the car by the other rescuers and then was towed to the bank. He was hospitalized for testing. The coworkers re-entered the pond to search for Petties, but they were unsuccessful. His body was recovered about two hours later; he had drowned.
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