This is the area of the Ottawa River where Constable Michael Piche saved the life of Mattawa resident Roch Halle. This picture is a week after the rescue so much of the ice has disappeared.
When Roch Halle of Mattawa saw his seven year old Irish Setter Zoe stuck in the ice 20 feet offshore in the freezing Ottawa River last Monday, he didn’t hesitate to rush to the rescue.
But the ice was unstable, and as he reached his beloved pet, he crashed through the ice---just his head and arms visible, his legs pinned under the ice.
Halle says he was trapped for about 10 minutes and thought he was a goner. He felt himself starting to slide under the ice.
But this wasn’t his time to go.
Halle says OPP Constable Michael Piche was on routine patrol near the marina, when he saw the dog and Halle’s truck.
“He saw the dog but he didn’t see me because I was sort of in a hole. I guess he ran the plates on my pickup truck.
“When he came down the hill I guess he heard me screaming for help. He ended up coming in to get me out, and even rescued my dog at the same time.
“It was a good thing too. I think I was screwed and blue,” Halle told BayToday. “I was totally shocked he was there.”
Halle says Piche crawled on his stomach out to him, and also fell through the ice up to his waist before putting his feet against a pressure crack to grab Piche’s shoulders to pull him out.
“Then he backed up with his hands under my armpits and got me out (to shore), and then he went back and got my dog.
Halle had no feeling in his legs, and had trouble walking, but emergency workers managed to get him to hospital.
“I’m was kind of embarrassed about it at first, but it’s a big deal. I want Mike to be recognized for it.
“I’m very lucky”
This isn’t the first time Piche has saved someone from drowning. Back in 2011 he also saved a woman’s life in the Mattawa River.
Contacted by BayToday, Piche declined comment for the moment as the OPP are working on a news release.
