WOOD LAKE – A drowning on Wood Lake Saturday might have been even more tragic if not for the actions of nearby residents and tourists.
A Yukon man drowned while trying to save three young boys who were caught in strong currents and couldn’t get to shore. A number of people who witnessed the incident jumped into action to help the boys and each other.
“I heard some screams from the beachside,” says Wynden Danylowich. “Two people struggling in the water and I knew something was really wrong because the people on the beach were screaming ‘help, help.’”
Wynden was joined by his brother Stayton.
“We asked what the problem was and they said three kids were drowning. So my brother and I, as we were still running, we ripped off all our clothes and went in as fast as we could to try and get these kids,” says Stayton Danylowich.
The strong current of Vernon Creek had swept three boys between the ages of 9 and 11 out into the lake. The father of two of the boys and another man immediately attempted to rescue them. The Danylowich brothers could only see one of the men and he was in trouble.
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“He was going under, like quick. He was on his last strokes. We grabbed him and tried to bring him in against the waves and the current” says Stayton Danylowich.
Only after they’d helped rescue the man and one of the children did the brothers discover the father had disappeared.
The search rapidly expanded to include boaters, RCMP and firefighters.
John Danylowich joined his sons and other rescuers in the water. “The lake was extremely rough and the current was more than one police officer could handle and the officer was struggling just a bit away from me and I didn’t realize it because I was concerned about myself and my kids. And he actually looked at me wide-eyed and said, ‘Can you help me?’”
He helped the officer get to shore while his sons continued diving in the murky water.
Monday, a relative of the drowned man expressed her gratitude to those who helped.
“It was amazing. On behalf of the family I’d like to thank everybody who was involved because without everybody’s help it could have been a whole lot worse. And we all know that,” says Cathy Albrechtsen. “And every one of us, from the bottom of our hearts, really really thanks everybody for their contribution, for saving our family.”
With the ordeal of the search and rescue behind them, the Danylowich’s expressed their admiration for the courage of the father who died while trying to save the kids.
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