Patrizio Bartolozzi saved Steven M. A. Hillman from drowning, Edmonton, Alberta, February 24, 2005. Steven, 9, and another boy were walking on ice that extended from the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The ice broke beneath them. Steven’s friend pulled himself from the open water, but a swift current pulled Steven downstream about 1,300 feet, or to where he leaned against the edge of solid ice at a point about 250 feet from the bank. Steven’s friend screamed for help, attracting the attention of Bartolozzi, 50, baker, who was walking nearby. Bartolozzi saw Steven in the water and ran along the river to a point opposite him. He then walked and crawled across the ice toward Steven. Near the edge of the ice, which was only about an inch thick there, he flung his jacket toward Steven. Steven grasped it with difficulty and held to it as Bartolozzi pulled him onto solid ice. Bartolozzi crawled back toward the bank, pulling Steven, then stood and carried him the rest of the way in. Steven was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia, and he recovered. Bartolozzi was cold and nearly exhausted, and he too recovered.
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