Hero recounts rescue of two girls from icy Edmonton river
By Pamela Roth, QMI Agency
It took Adam Shaw a few moments to realize that what he was witnessing was not a game.
The Fort Saskatchewan resident was out for a stroll with his family near the Beverly Bridge on Sunday when he heard screams from what sounded like kids playing nearby.
When he looked down the riverbank, he saw a young girl floating in the open water, her sister desperately trying to pull her to pull her out.
"At first you don't really understand they are in trouble," said the 27-year-old wireline engineer. "You kind of think, 'what are they doing' and then you realize they are really in a desperate situation because they are in the water."
Adam dropped everything and told his wife Kelsey to call 911. He grabbed his black Labrador Rocky and raced down to the ice. The second girl had now fallen into the frigid water, but was hanging onto the edge of the ice. Adam grabbed her and pulled her out immediately.
By this time the second girl had floated down the river, and was bobbing in and out of the water, barely visible. Adam ran along the frozen river trying to get close to young girl, who was about four or five feet from the ice.
He asked if she could swim towards him, but she couldn't move her arms or legs due to the cold. So Adam threw Rocky's leash to the girl, but she was just out of reach.
"She was going under, going under, so I thought well, I got to try something to get close to her," said Adam.
That's when things took a turn for the worse. As Adam tried to inch closer to the girl, the ice suddenly gave way, plunging him and Rocky into the icy water. It took his breath away. With the adrenalin pumping, Adam scrambled to get back onto the ice, but the ice kept breaking. It wasn't until Rocky managed to get his front paws on the ice that Adam pushed the 110-pound dog up, then used the leash to pull himself out of the water.
Soaking wet, he looked around for the young girl, but she was gone. After a few seconds, she popped back up about 50 or 60 yards away. Adam ran towards her again, but the girl was still out of reach.
With time running out, Adam put the leash around Rocky and pushed him into the water. The girl grabbed and held onto the leash while Rocky swam back towards the ice, where Adam was able to pull everyone to safety until rescue crews arrived.
The two girls -- age six and nine -- were rushed to hospital, the older girl suffering from hypothermia. Their condition was not released Monday. Adam hasn't seen them since the drama, and is now being called a hero.
"I just really didn't want to fail. I really wanted to save them. I didn't want to see a bad outcome," said Adam, adding his dog of eight years is very adventurous.
"I knew that he could jump in the water and swim back no problem. I thought if there's a chance she can grab the leash, that she'd be okay."
Adam and Rocky were recognized for their heroic efforts by Edmonton's fire chief on Monday afternoon. He was given a firefighters helmet and Rocky was given a huge bone.
His wife Kelsey, who stood by watching the rescue the entire time with their two young children, knew her husband of seven years had it in him all along.
"He wouldn't ever let somebody be in need and not help. That's how Adam is. The reaction to go and do it, it didn't surprise me," she said. "You know it's a risky situation, but what else can you do? Obviously I am super proud of him. It was a very brave act to be able to do that. It was nothing short of a miracle to be able to get the other little girl."
