The Lifesaving Society presented it’s Rescue Award of Merit to Evan Spindler on March 28, 2014 in Windsor, Ontario.
Evan Spindler lives with his family in a home on the west side of the Thames River. He was at home on the afternoon of March 12, 2013, when he noticed a wheelchair-bound man who had become stuck when he rolled to the edge of the river to feed the geese and ducks.
Although though the victim was familiar with this riverbank – he visited it daily – he was not expecting the water to be so deep and his wheelchair slid and got stuck. He was lap-deep in freezing water, trying to stay warm, and if his wheelchair were to flip, he’d be in deadly trouble.
Evan, a Bronze Cross candidate at the time, noticed the man struggling. He told a family friend to call 911 and ran from his house to help. Evan crossed the Blackfriars Bridge, ran down a flooded path and waded into the water. He helped the victim out of the water and onto dry land where EMS had arrived. The police took the unharmed victim home. By the next day, the water had receded and the wheelchair-bound man was back at his favourite place feeding the birds: “It’s nice that people care,” he said later, “the geese sure didn’t.”
For bravely rushing to the aid of someone in need, the Lifesaving Society is honoured to present its Rescue Award of Merit to Evan Spindler.
