Jeffrey Ryan Hillhouse helped to rescue Robert J. and Phyllis L. Kopytko and Paul R. Brundridge from being struck by a boat, Kimberling City, Missouri, June 11, 1994. Kopytko, 47, and his wife, 38, were passengers in an 18-foot boat operated by Brundridge, 58, on Table Rock Lake when the boat veered suddenly and threw them into the water. The boat continued out of control, in circles, and struck and seriously injured them. Boating nearby with his brother-in-law and others, Hillhouse, 22, mobile electronics installer, witnessed the accident. They approached the scene in an 18-foot boat, entering the circle made by the runaway boat. After the brother-in- law positioned their boat alongside the runaway, the two boats collided, the runaway partially mounting the side of their boat. Stepping onto the bow of their boat, Hillhouse pushed on the runaway to shove it away; it continued around the bow of their boat and partially mounted it again, on the opposite side, as Hillhouse continued his attempts to deflect it. Hillhouse then took over the controls of their boat as his brother-in-law climbed into the runaway and shut off its motor. Kopytko and Brundridge died of their injuries. Mrs. Kopytko required extensive hospitalization for treatment of her injuries, which included the loss of an arm.
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