Paul D. Allston helped to save Charles F. Todd from drowning, New Castle, Delaware, August 24, 2005. Todd, 35, experienced difficulty while swimming in the Delaware River and shouted for help while clinging to a jetty that was about 270 feet from the bank. Dispatched to the scene, Allston, 38, police officer, went to the end of a pier that extended into the river near the jetty. As Todd shouted that he could not hold on any longer in the very strong tidal current, Allston removed his outer attire and entered the water. He swam about 90 feet through the current to Todd, then grasped him. To get out of the current, Allston moved Todd to the end of the jetty, then he supported Todd while holding to the jetty himself. A rescue boat arrived several minutes later and removed the men from the water, then took them to safety. They sustained mild hypothermia, and Allston, nearly exhausted, had abrasions to his body. They recovered.
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