Canadians Rescue Mexican Family from Drowning in Mismaloya, Mexico Catherine Griwkowsky - Edmonton Journal
go to original February 4, 2016

Andrew Pearson, a St. Albert Firefigher/EMT, rescued a mexician boy his mother and father with the help of a mother and her older son from Saskatchewan while they all were on holiday near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico last week.

A St. Albert firefighter and EMT wasn’t expecting to make a dramatic rescue while on vacation.

Andrew Pearson was building sandcastles with his family and chatting with a family from Carrot River, Sask., on Mismaloya Beach south of Puerto Vallarta on January 30.

When he looked up, he saw a boy, about six- or eight-years-old, exhibiting textbook signs of drowning. Pearson told his sister to watch his daughter and niece and took off running towards the drowning child.

“What went through my mind? There’s a drowning kid out there. Get to the drowning kid and bring him in,” Pearson said.

But as he was rescuing the boy, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boy’s father getting caught in the riptide.

“I assume the father was either a non-swimmer, or a very weak swimmer,” he said. “He started to drown as well.”

Pearson was able to get the child to the surf break where Liz Haley-Anderson from Carrot River carried him back to the beach and Pearson returned for the father.

The man’s wife was trying to keep him afloat and both latched on to an already exhausted Pearson. He signalled for the woman to head back to shore as he brought the drowning man back. Haley-Anderson’s husband, Bob Haley, helped carry the two men to safety.

“I want all Canadians to know when they go on vacation, be aware when they’re near water, whether it’s a pool, whether it’s the surf, be aware,” Pearson said.

“Check the local conditions, check the local warnings and use common sense. I think that’s the most important thing. We were lucky we were able to prevent a tragedy.”

Pearson is hoping to connect with his fellow rescuers and the family he rescued.

Read the original at Edmonton Journal.