An ordinary work shift turned into a life-saving rescue mission.
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Restaurant staff at Armando’s Pizza on Riverside Drive East jumped into action Friday evening to save two brothers who had fallen into the icy water at Lakeview Park Marina and couldn’t get out.
Staff involved in the rescue effort are now calling for improved safety measures at the east Windsor marina to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“We were in the right place at the right time,” said Mohamed Rashwan, owner and operator of the Armando’s Pizza Riverside location.
He said staff were first alerted to the situation around 8 p.m. when a server overheard frantic cries for help coming from the water just beyond the restaurant near the marina entrance.
“We started running towards the screaming to see what we could do,” he said.
They discovered two men, believed to be around 30 years old, clinging to the breakwall. There was an approximate seven-foot drop to the water level from the boardwalk location where they likely fell.
Rashwan believes the pair had been fishing near the edge, which lacks rail guards for protection and ladders to help them climb back to safety.
The restaurant’s security camera footage reviewed by Rashwan suggests the brothers had been in the frigid water for a number of minutes before restaurant staff heard their calls.
“It was ice cold,” said Rashwan. “It was freezing. At that point, they had been in the water for about seven minutes, so you’re losing feeling.”
After contacting 911, staff quickly came up with a plan to rescue both brothers as they waited for emergency services to arrive.
Rashwan said he leaned over the edge of the walkway while another staff member held onto his legs, managing to pull the first victim to safety within minutes.
The second victim, who was much taller and also rapidly losing mobility due to the freezing temperatures, was more challenging to rescue.
“Everyone had an idea about what we could do,” said Rashwan.
“Some people ran to grab a ladder. Some people ran and grabbed rope. Some people ran and grabbed the lifebuoy.”
He said about 10 minutes passed before they were able to rescue the second victim.
“It was a struggle,” he said. “We didn’t have the right tools of resources to help pull him out.”
First, staff attempted to throw a lifebuoy to the victim and pull him out, but he was unable to cling onto the flotation device.
Next, they tried lowering a ladder into the water. Once the victim had a secure foothold, they pulled him up.
By that time, Windsor Fire and Rescue Services crews had arrived and took over care.
Rashwan said he hopes to see stronger safety measures implemented at the marina to prevent people falling in.
This wasn’t the first time staff have had to respond to such an emergency, he said.
Earlier this year, staff rescued a woman who accidentally fell into the water when she wandered too close to the edge.
“Security has to be there,” Rashwan said, adding that anyone can enter the marina at any time.
“This marina has to be monitored. It seems to me like there’s not enough supervision there. This is this our concern.”
The marina is located about one kilometre from the city’s Sand Point Beach, which in July experienced the drowning of two men.
In response, Windsor city council approved the installation of an eight-foot fence along the westerly section of the beach — the location nearest a dangerous dropoff in the Detroit River with strong currents.
Rashwan said he and his staff are still shaken the next day by Friday’s incident. Many sported bruises and scars from their rescue efforts.
He said the father of both victims stopped by the restaurant on Saturday to thank staff.
