Man goes on fishing trip...

[River Rat]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091022/NEWS05/910220596/1320/Man-goes-on-fishing-trip--ends-up-a-hero



When Anthony Johnson, a 23-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department, took his boat out on Lake St. Clair on his day off Tuesday, he expected to reel in some perch and crappie.

Instead, after four fruitless hours of fishing, he caught two men who'd fallen off their boat, one of them a paraplegic.

Johnson said Wednesday that he was returning to the boat launch near the Selfridge Air National Guard Base about 6 p.m. when he spotted clothes in the water -- a man, trying to stay afloat while holding onto to his disabled friend.

Though fit, Johnson couldn't pull in either of the men, whom the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office identified as Scott Rozansky, 48, and Thomas Nierzwick, 49, both of Algonac.

Plan B? Johnson held onto Nierzwick, while Rozansky struggled for 20 minutes to hoist himself up onto the back of the boat, the 49-year-old Chesterfield Township resident recalled.

Once aboard, the dripping-wet man needed about five minutes to gather his strength before he and Johnson managed, after another 15 minutes, to heave the partially paralyzed Nierzwick onto Johnson's 20-foot Triton bass boat.

"They were out fishing and he makes a sharp turn," Johnson explained. "I don't know if a wave hit him, but it knocked the paraplegic into the water. He jumped out to get him. The boat drifted too far."

With the two men aboard, he then piloted over to the 15-foot Starcraft -- where one of the men's dogs was waiting -- tied his boat to the abandoned one and towed it to shore at the Fair Haven boat launch.

"It was very fortuitous this time of year," St. Clair County Sheriff Lt. Jim Terpenning said Wednesday. "In the middle of July, there's a lot of boat traffic."

Even luckier than that, Johnson, a lifelong fisherman, doesn't normally cruise in that section of the lake.

"The way I was going home that day, I have never gone that way," he said. "Usually, I would take a different route."

Rozansky and Nierzwick -- who Terpenning said were transported to St. John Hospital after more than 45 minutes in the water -- couldn't be reached for comment.



Contact ZLATI MEYER: 313-223-4439 or meyer@freepress.com

[mikesmiph]

Sounds like a great place for a lifesaving award to me. What a wonderful story. Thanks for making my day.

[Waterfoul]

That's two LUCKY men.

[djkimmel]

Lifejackets are a real good idea during the cold water months...

[mikesmiph]

To add to what Dan said, 50 degs is considered cold water. You don't last long.

[Waterfoul]

To add to what Dan said, 50 degs is considered cold water. You don't last long.

As far as I'm concerned 70 degree water is cold water!  I normally wear a PFD when boating cold or big water.

[baggerslimm]

Them guys are to lucky men..  I agree I always wear a life jacket when the water gets below 60 degrees.. Slimm

[Mojo]

have you guys ever swam in St Clair in July (re-read article) - when its 70 degrees ? You can survive a long time when 80 degree sun is beating down on you, but its still good to wear a life jacket when in boats 17 ft or less out there evewn while fishing. Just b carefull out there.