ASHTABULA, Ohio — A routine fishing trip on Lake Erie turned into a rescue mission on Friday afternoon when a 3-year-old girl fell overboard and her father jumped in to save her.
"The father was able to keep his head afloat with the 3-year-old on his chest," said Chief Shawn Gruber of the Ashtabula Fire Department.
"It was a miracle, I mean, there’s no doubt God had his hand in this too," said Gruber.
The Ashtabula Fire Department successfully rescued both the father and daughter after they spent more than an hour drifting in the water, separated from their boat.
The emergency started about 1 p.m. Friday when the family was enjoying their day on the water, when the little girl went overboard.
While the mother struggled to shut off the boat's engines with her 2-year-old son still aboard, the vessel began drifting in one direction while the father and daughter drifted in another.
"By the time she got everything shut down, she turned around and lost all sight of them," Gruber said.
The Ashtabula Fire Department was returning from another call when this emergency came in, putting them closer to the scene than if they had been at the station.
Firefighters located the mother and 2-year-old boy, then started searching for the missing father and daughter.
During their time in the water, the father had a heartbreaking conversation with his young daughter as his strength began to fade.
"The dad said he was about done. He said he told his 3-year-old, 'If I for some reason go under, you need to wave at any boats you see and try to get their attention,'" Gruber said.
On their seventh search pass, firefighters spotted a glimmer of hope in the water.
"Brayden happened to see somebody, part of a hand waving, and pointed and yelled. The next set of waves, we saw them. It was an absolutely amazing feeling," said Greg Henry with the Ashtabula Fire Department.
The successful rescue highlighted concerns about the closure of the local Coast Guard station.
Ashtabula City Manager Jim Timonere expressed mixed emotions.
"When I was getting the details about what was going on and finally received word that the two individuals were safe and on our boat, I have never been so relieved, so proud of my guys and so angry all at the same time, and it’s because of what's happened with Coast Guard Station Ashtabula," Timonere said.
The Coast Guard station that once operated 24/7 closed because of downsizing about two years ago. During Friday's emergency, the Coast Guard launched a helicopter from Toledo and boats from Erie and Fairport Harbor. The rescue took an hour and seven minutes to complete, and when it was over, the Coast Guard reinforcements called in to help had still not arrived.
"It is essential that we get this station open," Timonere said.
