Long Lake residents save overturned boaters
ALPENA, Mich. — A moment’s hesitation can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. Thankfully, nobody hesitated when a boat capsized on Long Lake Friday.
Pat Sawicki and her sister Diana Ostyn were enjoying the shade Friday afternoon on long lake when they saw a boat with an oversized motor. The boaters – who weren’t wearing life jackets – tried to make a tight turn, but the motor was too strong and the boat flipped over. The sisters saw the boaters struggle to put on life jackets in the water.
That’s when they called their neighbor, Ed Newvine.
“We yelled at him; [we] told him and his friend Phil ‘there’s someone in the water. Boat capsized and they need immediate help.’ Phil, who was Ed’s friend, said he didn’t think [one of the boaters] was gonna make it much longer because he was out of breath. They couldn’t even get him in the boat.”
The good news is that Ed and Phil did manage to bring both boaters aboard. They also righted the vessel and brought it to shore.
Sawicki told WBKB several other boats passed by the overturned boat without stopping to help.
She hopes this story will inspire other people to be more than bystanders.
