ee

Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 26, 1990 — Page AQ

re
up for
awards —

TERRACE — A local resident pe
who survived 10 minutes under: |;

water in the Skeena River two
weeks ago now sports a pair of
bright, neon green laces i in his
running shoes.

“Its so‘'they can ‘find me
quicker next time I go in the
river,” says Chris Jennings. in
describing ‘the gift. from a co-
worker, =

Jennings’ ordeal began while
he and Angela Schuyler, a
fellow - employee - from the
Canada Employment Centre

here were driving toward Prince .

Rupert Sept, 11.

Jennings, the driver of the
car, attempted to pass a
transport truck on a stretch of
highway running parallel to the
Skeena River, .

He encountered a vehicle |

coming in the opposite direction
and in taking evasive action, his
vehicle spun out of control,
went off the highway and ended
upside down in the river in
about 10 feet of water.

. Schuyler got out of the car
but Jennings didn’t. Then
began a rescue.effort that in-
volved three people diving into
the river to find Jennings.

The trio couldn’t located Jen-
nings and the car, in danger of
being swept away in an ebb tide,
was pulled closer to shore by
Greyhound bus driver Ted
Cullis using a load securing
strap from a transport truck.

Jennings was found in the
back seat and carried to shore.

He wasn’t breathing and didn’t -

have a pulse. Several attempts
to revive him failed, A last ef-
fort was’ made by a bus
passenger who knew CPR. Jen-

nings began breathing ‘but-‘re-

eral

mained unconscious: ~
~ He was then flown. to’ “Prince
Rupert by.a medevac helicopter

‘and transferred .to-.Vancouver ~

General Hospital by air am-
bulance.

Jennings woke up after about
a day and a half, was transfer-
ted back to Mills Memorial
Hospital here and discharged
late last week,

Other than. bumps and
bruises and a short term
memory loss, Jennings is not ex-

_ Mansurvives
watery accident —

‘OUT OF the: hospital and ‘doing ‘well. isc ris “Jennings. He was
rescued and revived when a car he was driving left Hwy16, ending

upside.down in the Skeena River,

be alive. It’s like a gift ... 1
don’t know how to deal with
it,’? he says.

“You find yourself thinking
so much about the people you
care about. You have to tell
them because you almost left
without telling them. You find
out how fragile life is,”” he said,

Jennings has no recollection
of the seconds before the vehicle
went into the water or of what
happened immediately after-
ward but says he must have got-
ten out of the seatbelt because
he was found.in the back seat.

He thinks there could’ have
been an airpocket in the vehicle
or that his body gradwally shut
down its systems in reaction to
the cold water and so reduced

‘the amount of oxygen necessary
to ‘Stay givezer x

Jennings said doctors in Van.
couver told him he lived because
he stopped smoking a year ago.
That gave his lungs time to
recover and better be able to
withstand being under water.

He credits Schuyler with con-
vincing the rescuers to keep

looking, SShe was the one who
kept saying I was there.”’

He’s also grateful to the three
men who dove into the water
and the bus passenger who per-
formed CPR, The divers, Kevin
Thomas and Raymond Ward
from. Tennessee and Bill Evans
from Prince Rupert, are being
recommended for federal
government bravery awards
given to those who risk their
lives by saving others. Ralph
Hutley, from Prince Rupert,
who performed CPR, is being
recommended for a St. John’s
Ambulance Association award.

“T’m blessed in being all right

and blessed in friends,’’ said
Jennings in recounting the
messages, flowers and visits
while,he: was. i hospite ized.
) Sep ean® Say eridhigh’ about
Vancouver General "Hospital —
the ICU unit. I'll stand up and
defend that place from now on.
I feel the same way about Mills.
People may not want to be in
hospitals but I’d rather be there
than on the bottom of the
Skeena River,’’ he said.’

a

SHEENal
Mealvv

announces the winners of the

BACK TO SCHOOL COLORING CONTEST

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Ages 12-15
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Thank you to all the children who sent in their pictures and
congratulations to the winners.

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