SASKATOON -- Brad Pilon says he was at the right place at the right time.
He was running on Saturday by the South Saskatchewan River when he heard screams.
“I saw one child running the opposite way I was going, yelling for help. I looked in the river and saw a head going up and down, and he was also screaming for help,” Pilon tells CTV News.
Pilon says his dad instincts kicked in, and without thinking, he jumped in the water.
“There was no other option than to go in,” he says.
Pilon’s wife, Ashley, caught the stunning rescue on-camera. The video can be viewed using the player above.
The video shows Pilon swimming towards shore, holding the boy. Other bystanders help pull the child out, and call 911.
“I was blown away. I couldn’t believe what was happening,” Ashley says.
“Proud is an understatement. I can’t even explain how I feel. You think you love someone and then you see that — it’s a whole other side.”
The couple was taking part in a running challenge, on their 32nd mile, before Pilon got in the water.
Paramedics say the boy and his cousin were playing on the river bank, when he slipped and the current quickly took the child from the shoreline.
Emergency crews say the boy had signs of hypothermia, but the situation could have been much worse.
“Saskatchewan people, this is just how we react. It’s in our DNA to help someone when you see them in trouble, and that’s exactly what Brad did without a moment’s notice. And thankfully or this would have been a much different story,” says Troy Davies, director of pubic affairs with Medavie Health Services West.
Pilon is set to receive an award from Medavie at an event in September.
The boy has been safely reunited with his family.
