TEEN RESCUES MAN FROM LAKE SIMCOE

THOMAS PRICE WAS WALKING ALONG WATERFRONT WHEN HE SAW SOMEONE STRUGGLING IN LAKE SIMCOE

Minesing teen Thomas Price was caught off guard along the Barrie waterfront May 10, after spotting a man struggling to stay afloat in Lake Simcoe.

But it didn't take long for the 19-year-old to spring into action to save the stranger's life.

"I was walking along to meet friends down by the dock," Price said. "I saw some ladies looking at something in the water. It was a man, and he couldn't reach up to the dock to pull himself up."

Rather than jumping in, Price manoeuvred his way around the Barrie Marina's steel-and-rope gate, and then got to the end of the dock and reached down toward the water to pull out the man, whose name was Brian.

"I was on my knees at first and grabbed one of his arms. He said he couldn't support himself because he recently had chemotherapy," Price said. "He had a cut on the top of one hand."

Price readjusted himself to a squatting position, then reached under both of Brian's arms and pulled him up onto the dock.

"He said, 'Holy cow, I thought I was a goner.' He took 30 seconds to a minute to catch his breath, then he kept going right at it, tying his boat to the dock," Price said. "I asked if he was all right. He was cold, wet and tired, but he was persevering. He was shivering for quite a bit."

They walked together to the marina office and "got caught up a bit." Price learned Brian had been trying to reach a rope to tie up his boat, and fell after leaning too far.

"It was a special feeling," said Price. "He said I saved a life today."