Warren D. Sarley saved Jeffrey M. Barham from drowning, Greece, New York, January 22, 1988. Jeffrey, 7, was playing with a friend on a frozen pond when he fell through thin ice about 25 feet from the bank and floundered in the frigid water. Ice fishing on thicker ice nearby, Sarley, 65, retired teacher, ran to the edge of the thin ice, then, despite assuming that the ice would not support his weight, began to walk toward Jeffrey. The ice broke, and Sarley, fully clothed, submerged. He surfaced and swam to Jeffrey, who was partly submerged. Sarley pulled Jeffrey to the surface of the water, then pushed him toward solid ice. Jeffrey was pulled from the water by another man. Sarley, whose clothing was waterlogged, could not climb out of the water. He was thrown a rope from the bank and pulled out by a companion. Jeffrey and Sarley sustained mild hypothermia, from which they recovered.
63772 – 7339
63772-7339