I was flipping back through some old newspapers when I saw a story about how two girls, who fell through ice into the North Saskatchewan River, were lucky to be alive.
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I also found a pile of information and a direct retelling of the story from the Governor General of Canada’s website.
Ice safety is often something emergency officials will talk about as winter creeps closer. Rivers freeze and people love playing on them when it’s safe to do so.
For me, I’ve never been interested in walking along what could be potentially unstable ice. I am incredibly risk-averse and if there’s any danger, I’m running. I’m also not the lightest fellow out there, so I would not trust the ice to support me.
In the article I came across, Dave Daniels says his daughter, Erin Daniels, and her Chum, Fiona Clarke, were lucky to be alive. The two were rescued from the river when the ice gave way. It was lucky for the girls that there were quite a few people in the area, including the subjects of a 1987 Lloydminster news article, Mike Grahame, Mike Rennich and Steve Steward.
The two girls were walking a dog on what was a partially frozen North Saskatchewan River. The pair described the moment, saying there was no warning the ice would break and “all of a sudden it just went crack.”
They were submerged quickly and Benji the dog began barking. While the girls were caught by the current and separated, they both managed to reach the edge of the ice and held on. There were several people in the area who rushed in to aid the girls. Two people attempted to pull one of the girls out with the aid of a branch while the three others, including Rennich, reached the scene and went to the aid of the other.
While the three men were trying to use a human chain to reach one of the girls, Rennich would have to crawl the last 20 yards over the ice toward the victim. He was successful in pulling her from the water and passed her back to the two men along the chain.
It was at that point when Rennich noticed the other girl was still in the water. The other two people on scene were trying to get her to grab onto a branch but were unable to as she was too cold. Rennich once again crawled back onto the ice a second time and passed her to the other two people who also formed a human chain.
The heroics of everyone involved helped save the lives of the two girls. Rennich would be awarded a Medal of Bravery in 1988 for his efforts.
In the article, the men were said to be out testing a video camera for work. They even caught the entire event on camera, though I’ve never seen the footage. The two girls were lucky to escape the situation with just a few bumps and scrapes.
It’s a story that most of us have heard far too many times. While the ice on the river may seem stable, it can give out at a moment’s notice.
The two girls were excited to meet their three heroes again, but the men said they would look forward to meeting under different circumstances. I think meeting anyone when your first impression is saving them from the water would be a strange introduction.
This whole story could look very different had something gone slightly different. In that case, we’re likely talking about a tragedy rather than a story of heroics and perseverance.
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