CLEVELAND — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three high school students who fell into the Detroit River after their rowboat became swamped by the wake of passing vessels, Saturday morning.
The students were members of the Grosse Ile High School crew team and had been practicing near the northern point of Grosse Ile, Michigan while their coach monitored in a nearby jon boat.
Coast Guard Station Bell Isle's 25-foot Response Boat - Small crew were on patrol for a rowboat regatta race taking place nearby and were alerted by local fishermen at approximately 9 a.m. that the crew team had fallen into the water.
The Coast Guard smallboat crew arrived on scene and rescued two males from the water and one female who had just gotten into the jon boat and was exhibiting hypothermic symptoms. The rest of the high school crew team had already been helped into the jon boat.
The Coast Guard crew called local EMS and transported the students to shore and waited for EMS to arrive. The students were then transported to a local hospital to be evaluated for hypothermia.
"In this case we were lucky we were already on scene and were able to get to them quickly because local fishermen alerted us," said Petty Officer Jake Mills who was the coxswain aboard the Coast Guard small boat and a boatswain's mate stationed at Coast Guard Station Belle Isle. "Even though it's sunny out, it's still very cold water. Always be prepared when you go out on the water. You never know what could happen."
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