Bystanders became heroes last week as they rushed to save the life of a woman who had fallen off a Ucluelet dock.

The woman, a West Coast resident, fell into the ocean while attempting to board a canoe at Ucluelet鈥檚 52 Steps Dock on Nov. 1 around 5 p.m. and the man she was with was unable to pull her back onto the dock by himself, according to Sgt. Steve Mancini of the Ucluelet RCMP.

Neither were wearing life-jackets.

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鈥淔ortunately, some bystanders in the area heard the screams for help and were able to attend and pull the female in from the water,鈥� Mancini said.

He said RCMP were joined at the scene by Emergency Health Services and Ucluelet Volunteer Fire Department members and the woman was transported to Tofino Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

He added that alcohol was a factor in the incident.

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鈥淲hen you mix alcohol and docks, or any sort of water activity, it鈥檚 a recipe for disaster. We strongly encourage people not to do that,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to see anybody get hurt because of a mistake.鈥�

Mancini noted a woman was found deceased in the waters around Ucluelet鈥檚 Whiskey Dock on Oct. 19 and said police are urging residents and visitors to be safe and wear life-jackets.

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鈥淲hen you鈥檙e on the docks, life-jackets are advised, whether you鈥檙e a child or an adult,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his time of year the water is cold. This was a situation where we were fortunate enough to be able to have a positive result at the end, but it鈥檚 a reminder that we need to be safe on docks and properly equipped when we鈥檙e on them.鈥�

andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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