{"id":14321,"date":"2016-08-23T13:36:37","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T13:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14321"},"modified":"2016-08-23T13:36:37","modified_gmt":"2016-08-23T13:36:37","slug":"sheriffs-deputy-saves-two-women-from-drowning-when-canoe-capsizes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14321","title":{"rendered":"Sheriff\u2019s Deputy saves two women from drowning when canoe capsizes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watch the report HERE\u203a\u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

JACKSON, N.Y. (NEWS10<\/a>) \u2013 A woman almost died Friday when her canoe overturned on the Battenkill, but thanks to the quick actions of a sheriff\u2019s deputy, she survived.<\/p>\n

It happened near Foster Lane in Jackson, where a canoe carrying two women overturned, pinning one of them pinned against a tree.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Deputy Sheriff Todd Riche immediately jumped in and pulled the women to safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a scary situation there for a while,\u201d said Riche.<\/p>\n

Seven hours after the incident, Deputy Sheriff Riche reflected on the call he was dispatched to Friday morning.<\/p>\n

When he arrived on-scene, he heard a woman screaming for help, trying to keep her head above the fast current of the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cI crossed the river, took my duty belt off, and proceeded to go into the river,\u201d said Riche.<\/p>\n

Riche says the woman was temporarily in pain from the pressure of the water, panicking her friends, who traveled all the way from Pennsylvania to enjoy the morning on the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually laid down the male subject, who the victim\u2019s boyfriend, on his back,\u201d said Riche. \u201cAnd at first I put my arm under her right arm to kind of relieve him from holding her up out of the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

The water level in the river was running high after the rainstorm that hit Jackson Thursday night.<\/p>\n

Riche says this particular location is an especially tricky part of the Battenkill, notorious for accidents.<\/p>\n

He says he\u2019s been receiving a lot of compliments and pats on the back for what he did, but to him, it was just a necessary part of the his job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just happened to be working and in the right spot at the right time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rich says he always tries to remind people to be mindful of the water before hopping in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, if there\u2019s a rain storm the night before, you definitely want to check the river levels and how dirty the water is because that\u2019s usually a good indicator of whether the water level is up higher than it normally is,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The victim was luckily not seriously hurt.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"