CANMORE – Quick thinking by a local soccer coach and a young tourist from Florida likely saved the life of a woman who fell into the Bow River, Tuesday night (June 5) in Canmore.
At about 7 p.m., according to Canmore Fire-Rescue, a woman fell out of her watercraft and into the fast and frigid waters of the Bow River. Drifting near Bridge Road, she was spotted by Nadia Deleche, 15, who was visiting from Florida.
“We were standing by the bridge and saw something in the water. It almost looked like a trash bag or a buoy. We couldn’t tell. I decided to chase it and saw it was a (woman),” Deleche said.
She could see the woman’s bright red face and white hair, and called for her to swim to the riverbank. Deleche took a video of the scene and followed the woman down the river, yelling for help. When she spotted a soccer practice at Millennium Field, she ran for help, and stayed near the trail to wave on the paramedics.
“I was terrified. I was crying. I was praying. I called my mom,” she said.
Stephen Steel was coaching his U15 boys soccer team when he heard the cries for help. In a flash, he dropped his clipboard and charged towards the river.
“A young lady came running on the pitch, and she started to say someone was in the water, and needed help,” Steel said.
Another woman pointed Steel in the right direction, and he took off towards Elk Island. Since he walks his dog in that area, he knew the terrain well, but struggled to spot the woman in the water.
“I kept running and saw out of the corner of my eye someone in the water. I then lost sight because there was too much of an embankment,” Steel said. “Twice I tried to get her. On the third time, she was 20 yards away and I could see she was in trouble. She was in bad shape, for sure.”
He sped along the river to take another shot at a rescue, and this time, was successful.
“I ran as fast as I could to meet her on the bend. I had to jump onto Elk Island. I ran around the corner and five seconds later she was there. I went in up to my chest, grabbed her, and pulled her out.”
Steel managed to get her out of the river and yelled for help. Other bystanders had called 911, and Canmore’s Fire-Rescue jet boat was on scene within two minutes. The woman was transferred to Canmore Hospital, and was in stable condition.
Steel said he reacted as soon as he heard the calls for help, and can’t remember how long he had to run before grabbing the woman.
“I was almost at the far end of Elk Island. If she had gone past, I don’t know if I would have got her … she was minutes away. Her head was just above the water,” Steel said.
“The water was moving fast, but it was safe. I know that area really well, and got lucky in getting ahead of her. I couldn’t see for sure what was going on.”
He credits the two women for following the woman down the river, and beginning the rescue.
“The young girl, I could see on her face it was urgent,” Steel said. “The other lady, she was not from town, either. She pointed me in the right direction. You just kind of go,” Steel said.
Canmore Fire Chief Walter Gahler said the woman was semi-conscious when she was picked up by EMS, and was in stable condition. She was boating by herself and wasn’t wearing a PFD when she was picked up.
“The river is at its near highest and strongest levels right now. The public should really exercise caution. Don’t do any boating without a PFD. Recreate with a partner if possible and respect the force of the river,” Gahler said.
He also praised the quick thinking bystanders, who made the rescue possible.
“We do our job much better when we get public involvement. Be very careful being part of the rescue, but the notification, spotting and last sighting was really important. I think it made a difference with the outcome,” Gahler said.
