Bystander Saves Woman Thrown From Boat Into Chicago River

CHICAGO, IL — A 26-year-old woman was rescued Wednesday night from the Chicago River after she was thrown from the boat she was aboard. She was pulled from the water by someone in another vessel who saw her floating in the river, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The woman had been aboard a boat that included people partying and drinking, the report stated. The other passengers, however, apparently didn't notice the woman had been thrown into the river, and police cited the man operating the boat for speeding, the report added.

The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, in a stretch of the Chicago River near Clark Street and West Wacker Drive, the report stated. Witnesses and police said the boat was traveling fast westbound on the river when it hit a turn near the Dearborn Street Bridge, sending the woman flying, the report added.

The boat then experienced mechanical issues and couldn't go back for the woman, the report stated. Other boats began circling near the woman, and passersby on the Riverwalk had stopped to look on, the report added.

Although the rescuer, Joe Schuster, didn't see the woman initially plunge into the water, he noticed the attention she was drawing from the crowds on the shore, report stated. He threw the woman a life preserver and pulled her onto his boat, the report added.

The woman was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was in good condition, according to the Tribune.

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