NORTH READING — A 15-year-old girl fell out of a canoe and survived about 45 minutes by clinging to a tree limb in the bone-chilling Ipswich River late yesterday afternoon.
Tiffany Peck of North Reading was in the water for about 20 minutes when a firefighter swam out to her and held on to her until more firefighters were called for backup.
Rescuers eventually pulled the girl out of the swift current and she was taken by ambulance to Winchester Hospital, where she was treated for hypothermia, said fire Capt. Barry Galvin.
"We were lucky today," Galvin said.
The drama began at 5:31 p.m., when police received a 911 call from Peck's distraught father saying his daughter's canoe capsized, according to a police press release. The father said his daughter was with a friend, later identified as Tiffany's cousin Amanda Mauro, 26.
Mauro, the mother of three small children, managed to get to shore on her own, but she also was taken to Winchester Hospital as a precaution, Galvin said.
Neither victim wore a life jacket, Galvin said. Galvin estimated the water is 35 to 40 degrees.
"It's probably not more than freezing. The ice pack just left," he said.
Firefighters initially received conflicting reports about where the girl was. They found her off Railroad Avenue. They tried to launch a boat behind a home, but were stopped by mechanical problems, Galvin said.
Firefighters Mike Tannian and Dave Lee donned survival suits and entered the river, which is swollen from this past weekend's storm.
Tannian swam to the girl and hung onto a tree limb while she hung onto him. The water was over their heads, Galvin said.
"He was able to calm her down and at that point we had to wait for additional resources," Galvin said.
The town only has four firefighters on duty per shift, including a dispatcher. They had to call in off-duty firefighters, as well as firefighters from neighboring Middleton, Galvin said.
Tannian was connected to Lee by a rope. Lee held onto the rope and waited in shallower water until backup arrived. Ten to 15 firefighters responded. Several suited up, hopped into the river and carried Peck to shore, according to Galvin.
Galvin said he didn't have a chance to speak to the victims about how they tipped their canoe.
The canoe drifted several hundred yards and ended up behind a shopping plaza on Washington Street, Galvin said.
Relatives said Tiffany and Mauro were doing well last night.
