William E. Wright, Jr., saved John M. Andrick from drowning, Oscoda, Michigan, January 10, 2007. John, 9, and two other boys were playing on the ice of partially frozen Van Etten Lake when they broke through at a point about 40 feet from the bank. They shouted for help as they struggled to stay afloat in the 37-degree water. At his home nearby, Wright, 37, aircraft mechanic, was alerted to the situation. He immediately responded to the scene, arriving as a woman was returning one of the boys to the bank. Wearing steel-toe boots, Wright entered the lake, waded out to solid ice, and then broke a path through it toward John, who, unconscious, had submerged by then. Wright grasped John but, tiring, had difficulty staying afloat in the water, which was beyond his depth there. He called for help. Kicking, Wright proceeded toward the bank with John, then he removed him from the lake. The third boy also had submerged, and his body was found the next day. John and the other rescued boy required hospital treatment for hypothermia, and they recovered. Wright strained his back but recovered in a day.
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