Lifesaver | Devon man says he's overwhelmed by recognition, downplays his heroic act
Published Wednesday December 7th, 2011
Peter Creelman says he wasn't nervous as he swam from the north end of the Westmorland Street Bridge toward a drowning woman Aug. 25.
The Devon man, who walks daily from the north side of the city to the southside YMCA to swim for an hour, was a competitive national-level swimmer in his youth and had worked as a lifeguard on the beaches of Prince Edward Island.
"All I could think is that somebody loved her and they'd get another day," he said.
Creelman was initially oblivious to what was happening as he walked, wearing headphones and listening to music.
"A couple of ladies with their small children were looking up and I took my music off and they said some person jumped off the bridge and she's still there," Creelman said Tuesday after receiving a Certificate of Merit Award from Fredericton police Chief Barry MacKnight and public safety committee chairman Coun. Eric Megarity.
"I couldn't see who they were referring to. I continued to look for this person and nobody was on the scene at that moment. As I discovered where she was, police were arriving from all directions and waiting on the fire department to arrive. I noticed where she was, but the officers couldn't see her. I offered to swim to show them where she's located," Creelman said.
"They asked what my qualifications were. I told them I was a high-level swimmer," he said.
Police handed Creelman a life jacket and he began to swim the 100 to 120 metres out to between the third and fourth bridge piers to try to find the woman.
"When I got to the destination where I saw her, I couldn't see her. She had gone under for a period of time and then came back up a distance away from me. She was seeking help verbally and supporting her upper body to a degree. So I confirmed she was still conscious and maybe I could help her to shore," he said.
He managed to get the woman to grab hold of the life jacket.
"Then reality set in. She panicked. It left her. I left her. Then I got the aid and tried again. She had gone down before she got the aid, so I managed to get her hair before she got too far to bring her back to me," Creelman said.
"I was getting her to hug the life jacket so I could then take care of her. I began getting toward shore when the firemen were there already to get in.
As a lifeguard, Creelman said he helped prevent drowning situations by going out and towing people back to shore who got out beyond their swimming ability, but this was his first lifesaving rescue.
He said he wasn't nervous because the woman was conscious and he maintained eye contact.
"I knew how to make a rescue safely for myself first because I'm no good to a victim if something happens to me. I wasn't frightened," he said.
Creelman has never seen or talked with the woman who attempted to take her life that day, but he's comforted by the fact she got another chance at life.
He said he was overwhelmed by the recognition handed him Tuesday, although he downplayed his heroism.
"In your own spirit, you don't see it that way," he said.
MacKnight said eyewitnesses who saw the woman jump from the bridge into the river contacted 9-1-1
"Fortunately for everyone, Mr. Creelman happened to be in the area at the time and made himself known to the police officers who were there and told the officers that he felt confident he would be able to swim out to this person who was in the river and ... effect a rescue," MacKnight.
"The victim was in dire circumstances and had under a number of times by the time he got there. The St. John River is a dark and murky river and you don't see much below the surface, that's for sure."
After Creelman's heroics were brought to his attention, MacKnight said a meeting of the commendation board was convened to review the events on that summer day.
"It was determined a certificate of merit was certainly in order," MacKnight said.
"It's people like you that make this city so great," Megarity said.
The public safety committee chairman said Creelman is from his Devon ward on the north side of the city.
"All good things come from Devon," Megarity said.
Creelman is a teaching assistant at Fredericton High School. He was honoured by the New Brunswick Association for Community Living at its 2010 National Inclusive Educations Achievement Awards ceremony for his work with an autistic student. He received his award from Lt.-Gov. Graydon Nicholas.