Tiki boat captain credits early departure for ability to save woman’s life
Captain Robb Resiewicz says his Tiki Tour wasn’t officially supposed to take off until 10:30 a.m. Saturday, but when the family showed up 30 minutes early they got on the boat and left. Those minutes may have been what helped save a life.
“We were coming down towards the point and I noticed somebody swimming in the water and I said to my passengers, we gotta go check this out,” Resiewicz said.
Resiewicz is no stranger to Pittsburgh’s three rivers. He’s a boating expert — who on Saturday morning, stepped in to save a woman found in the Monongahela River. She was reportedly struggling to keep her head above water, bobbing up and down.
Resiewicz had the Gates family aboard at the time. They were celebrating their daughter’s 12th birthday when it became clear they were going to have to jump into action.
Previous Coverage >>> Tiki boat captain, family aboard help save woman from river in Pittsburgh
“Brian and his wife Chantel really stepped up. Really highly competent, good people. Salt of the earth, willing to help out,” he said.
They pulled the woman from the water and brought her onto the Tiki Boat.
“Her name is Mary. Mary seemed to be in shock and quite traumatized. I mean she had, if you see the wall there, she probably had a 20-foot fall to the water,” Resiewicz said.
She had scrapes and cuts on her body and feet when they got her on board. It’s unclear exactly why the 54-year-old was in the water. Initially, she said she was swimming, but later said she fell in. Resiewicz says they took her to Point State Park where medics and police took over.
The woman was taken to the hospital to receive treatment. She is expected to make a full recovery.
On his ride back, Resiewicz says they found the woman’s purse hanging on a tree close to where she was found in the water. He says he’s called hospitals in the area to get it back to her.
This is the third person Resiewicz has saved in a water rescue. He says everyone on the water has a responsibility to look out for one another.
“All boaters need to be vigilant at all times and if somebody’s swimming, you have to make sure they’re ok,” he said.
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