A bit of an unusual water rescue in St. Joseph Monday night.
It wasn't a swimmer that was in distress, it was a texter.
And it was a stranger that came to the rescue.
It's a walk along the pier thousands take each day in nice weather. Monday night, around 9:30, the walkers included Taylor Graham and Becky Banzant.
Graham says, "I wasn't really paying attention. And we just heard the splash and I didn't really know. I thought it was just some teenager."
It wasn't a teenager, it was a woman walking with her husband and son, texting. Distracted, Benton Harbor's Bonnie Miller walked right off the St. Joseph River side of the pier.
Banzant says, "I was scared for her so I jumped in. I don't know, just a reaction I had."
It was dark. Miller was struggling and around the same time, Miller's husband had jumped in to help, too.
Banzant says, "I grabbed her and swam her to the wall. and then her husband was kind of having trouble and he couldn't really do anything because he was having trouble and he swam to the ladder. I was swimming, treading water, and she was sitting in my arm. I had her sitting in my arm so it would be easier for her."
In the meantime, Taylor had called 9-1-1, and the St. Joseph Police arrived. They threw out a flotation device to help. That's always a good idea according to the Coast Guard who arrived minutes later.
"Some of the challenges because the St. Joseph River, you have the swift water, it's moving pretty fast. It's pretty difficult to swim."
Banzant says adrenaline took over. She didn't really feel the cold water temperature at all. Fittingly, the 19-year-old has always wanted to be in the Coast Guard and helping with this rescue made her want that even more. But more than anything, she was happy to help.
"She was really thankful, really thankful and she felt bad that it happened and I was like, as long as nobody was hurt and nobody died, I was fine."
