Rescue_marble_lake

Jeff Green | Aug 13, 2009

Muriel Messina was in her cottage on Marble Lake, off Road 506, east of Cloyne, early on Monday evening August 3, when her 14-year-old granddaughter Nadine heard a voice from the water and went outside.

What Nadine saw were a 72-year-old man Jack and his son-in-law John, calling out for help. They were both in the water holding on to their capsized fishing boat. Jack and Joe are the brother-in-law and father-in-law of Joe Aguanno, who owns the cottage next door to the Messinas.

Fortunately for the two men, the Messinas’ niece and nephew Ross and Paula Russell were on the water nearby in a pontoon boat. They also heard the cries and headed over to help. According to Muriel Messina, they found that “the younger man, John, was tangled up in the boat's chain and anchor, and the older man, Jack, was in severe distress.”

Neither man was wearing a life jacket, although there were jackets in their boat.

Ross managed to get John untangled, and the two men let go of their own boat and reached for the pontoon boat.

The Russells did not attempt to pull the two men onto the boat; instead they dragged them to shallow water, a silt bed near the Messina cottage.

Once they were in shallow water, John was able to get to shore on his own steam. Ross, Paula and Muriel Messina's grandson Frank, climbed into the thigh-high water and helped pull the older man to shore, where they wrapped them in towels.

“The older man was not in very good shape. He was breathing but was not responding. His lips were blue; his face was paste. The younger man was fine but he was worried about his father-in-law. We had phoned 911 and the ambulance came and worked on getting his wet clothes off and giving him oxygen, which brought him back to the point where he looked better and was aware again,” said Muriel Messina.

The man was transferred to hospital where he remained overnight. He was released the next morning.

“They came over the next day to thank us, and they looked fine. It was a happy ending,” said Muriel. ■