DETROIT (WWJ) -- A mail boat crew is being credited with a dramatic rescue on the Detroit River — their second rescue this summer.
The J.W. Westcott II — which usually delivers the mail and supplies to freighters and other Great Lakes boaters — was nearby on Saturday when a fisherman fell off the dock into the chilly waters. They managed to throw a life preserver to the man and pull him in to safety.
"Unfortunately, the gentleman was checking the fish that he'd caught, making sure they were still attached to his line. He had to have just misjudged his step, leaning over a little too far, and he fell in," Westcott deckhand Al Holland told WWJ's Greg Bowman.
The crew got the man to safety. and he's doing just fine.
"He was shocked, that that had happened to him. And, unfortunately, he informed us that he was not a great swimmer and he was afraid to let go. He was just holding onto just a small piece of rebar off the dock, and he was lucky that he was even able to grab onto that."
Holland told Bowman that while river rescues aren't their job, the crew is ready to help in an emergency.
"We are trained for it," Holland said. "A few times a year the Canadian Pilot team will show up, and we'll do man overboard drills. Sometimes the captain will see an item in the river and they'll inform me that, you know, there's something in the river, 'let's go fish it out!'"
This was the second rescue for the Westcott in less than two weeks. In the first incident, the crew saved a man who had fallen off the Ambassador Bridge.
Holland is just glad they were able to act quickly in both cases.
"It's all about timing; everything is about timing on the river," Holland said.
He noted the river is choppy, unforgiving, and much colder than people expect because it's always moving. "You have seconds to minutes to get someone out of the river before accidents really start to happen."
The J.W. Westcott II is known nationwide as the "only floating zip code" in the U.S.
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