Pittsburgh tiki boat captain saves woman in river
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A tiki boat captain is being hailed as a hero after rescuing someone on the water.
Saturday morning started like most other weekends this summer. Robb Rusiewicz picked up his cruise party and headed out just after 10 a.m.
"We were one of the first boats on the river and just nice and peaceful cruise around the point," the first-year tiki boat captain said.
Then he noticed something in the water. With more than 30 years of boating experience, he knew to check it out. As he got the boat closer, he saw a woman in the water.
"When you see someone, you have to make sure they're OK," Rusiewicz said.
The woman was struggling, and Rusiewicz and his cruise party pulled her on board. They called 911 and took her over to The Point for medical help. She appeared to be disoriented and didn't explain how she ended up in the water. Once there, she was taken to a hospital.
"I wouldn't say hero, just helping someone who needed help," Rusiewicz said.
"Our captains, they are heroes, but there is not one of them that I wouldn't expect to do the same thing," Crusin' Tikis Pittsburgh president Dale McCue said.
Just last month, another captain with the tiki cruises rescued a boy who fell off the walkway around The Point and into the water. That captain jumped into the river and pulled the young child to safety. McCue said his captains are Coast Guard licensed and trained to handle these situations.
"I'm very humbled, very humbled at the fact we've been able to be in the right place at the right time," McCue said.
"Rivers can be a lot of fun, but they can also be very dangerous," Rusiewicz said.
McCue said he trusts his captains with life. Rusiewicz said he just did what anyone else would do while paying attention to what's on the rivers.