Groom Hailed as Hero for Saving a Drowning Boy

A groom from Cambridge, Ont., is being called a hero for saving a life on his wedding day.

Clayton and Brittany Cook had just said “I do” last Friday and were having wedding portraits taken on a bridge. Clayton spotted a child drowning in the river below. Instinctively, he jumped into the river and helped the child to the bank. It happened so fast the photographer barely had time to snap a photo. “He sprung into action incredibly quick,” said photographer Darren Hatt. “Almost as soon as I realized what was going on, he had already saved the day.”

What’s He Doing in the Water?

Brittany said she looked over and saw her new husband in the water and thought, “What is he doing?” Clayton, Brittany and the photographer said they believe another child had pushed the boy into the river. “His face was underwater and he was fighting, like he was really fighting,” said Clayton. 

Brittany said Clayton’s heroic actions do not surprise her. “That’s Clay to me,” she said to CNN’s news gathering partner CTV. “It doesn’t surprise me that that happened. It’s something he would just instinctively do.”

The boy seemed to be fine and didn’t say anything after Clayton pulled him out of the water. An older sibling led him away.

Brittany is just thankful they were there. “How different would everyone’s day been if we weren’t in the right place at the right time?”

Hatt captured two photos and posted them on Facebook.