Good Samaritan And Son of GR Fireman Save Man From Grand River

Yesterday around 4:00 pm, I was leaving downtown when I saw a lot of activity around the old location of Charlie's Crab, including police and three fire trucks, which the city was already on heightened alert as another protest was planned downtown and Police had asked for residents not to come down.

This didn't look like it was that.  So I pulled over along the Fulton St. bridge over the Grand River and noticed that all the firemen work trying to help a couple of people below the patio of Charlie's.  Then down the Grand River came the GRFD search and rescue boat, pulled up to the bank, loaded a guy in, and took him back up the river.  Of course, I was super curious about what had gone down.

Well, now we know, MLive reports that what I witnessed was the last half of a water rescue that started when a man jumped into the river around the Blue Bridge and was floating down the river. He was rescued when the son of Lt. William Smith, of the GRFD, was training his dog nearby and saw the man in distress.  He jumped in the river and swam out to grab the man and had pulled him to shore at the deck of Charlie's Crab.

Christian Smtih, 27,  is the good Samaritan that jumped in to save the guy. He's a former Marine and as his dad told MLive if it hadn't been for officials from the fire department calling LT. Smith to tell him, he says he probably never would have known his son's heroic action, because that's just who he is, someone who jumps into action when needed.

Lt. Smith told MLive,

“That’s exactly what I would’ve expected out of him. I definitely am proud."