NEWFANE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Two 8th-grade students in Newfane are being recognized for saving a woman's life this summer.
Liam Hedley and Hunter Marcello were at the Newfane Marina on July 3, they said they were hanging out when they heard a woman scream for help.
"We saw people yelling at the end of the East Pier," said Hedley. "I saw a kayak half under. I saw a dog paddling over here and I saw her just going under and up, under and up, saying help, help, please. I said to Hunter, 'there's a woman drowning' and he was like 'wait, really?'"
"The dog swam over, got up there. Some guy got him. We had to react fast," said Marcello.
They said they ran to get Hedley's dad, who was working at his boatyard just feet away.
"It was kind of the only thing we could do. I'm not going to let some woman sit there and drown," said Marcello.
David Hedley said he was in his workboat when the boys came running for help.
"They yelled at me that there was some woman out in the lake that flipped over a kayak. I said jump in we'll go check it out and we came out in the workboat," said David.
The boys said they worked fast to get her out of the water.
"Me and Hunter grabbed her hand and arm, pulled her in. It took us three tries. She was just laying there thanking us and saying she would have died if it wasn't for us," said Hedley.
"Nerve-racking I'll tell you that. It was kind of really scary. Nervous if we lost her for like one second she could have floated away and went under," said Marcello.
David said he is proud of the boys' quick action.
"A couple more minutes and she would have drowned," said David.
As scary as it was, Hedley and Marcello said they would do it again if they had to.
"If it meant to save somebody's life...yeah. It was just being at the right place at the right time," said Marcello.
The boys said they are thankful the woman and her dog are OK and that she came back to the boatyard to thank them for saving her life. They will be honored at an upcoming Board of Education meeting.
