Matthew Hare saved a woman from drowning, Kelowna, British Columbia, November 27, 2013. At night, a 21-year-old woman struggled to stay afloat in Okanagan Lake, in water about 115 feet deep at a point about 275 feet from the closer bank. His attention having been attracted to the woman moments earlier, Hare, 36, a police officer, drove to a point from which he could access the bank and then ran about 600 feet to the lake. He removed his outer attire, entered the water, the temperature of which was 48 degrees, and swam to the woman. Other officers at the scene had thrown seat cushions into the lake, and, grasping one of them to use as a flotation device, Hare pulled the woman’s shoulders onto the cushion. He pushed her in front of him with both hands while he propelled himself with his legs back to the bank, the woman losing consciousness as they proceeded. Not able to exit the lake where he entered because of the bank’s abrupt slope, Hare, still pushing the woman, swam along the bank until he reached an accessible point. Others helped him and the woman from the water. Both Hare and the woman were taken to the hospital, where Hare was treated for mild hypothermia. He recovered.
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