LIMA — A man was dead Sunday afternoon after he drowned while trying to rescue a boy who fell into the cold Ottawa River.
Greg Stevenson was taken to St. Rita’s Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, officials said.
Stevenson tried to rescue a child who was in the river when the current swept him away, said Sgt. Jason Warren of the Lima Police Department.
The boy, whose name was not available late Sunday, was taken to the Lima Memorial Health System but was not seriously injured, officials said.
The boy was with other children walking in shallow water when he ventured out too far and was swept away by the current. Stevenson jumped in around Jackson Street trying to rescue the boy, Warren said.
Lima firefighters pulled Stevenson from the river three streets down near the Elizabeth Street bridge. A Lima police officer dropped his duty belt, jumped into the water and rescued the boy, Warren said.
The strong current, from the recent rain, especially at the dam, coupled with the water temperature, Warren estimated at 40 degrees, was enough to create a deadly situation, Warren said.
