MIRAMICHI, N.B. — The son of Parliament Hill shooting hero Kevin Vickers is being commended for his part in saving a woman's life — again.
Const. Andrew Vickers of Miramichi police responded Tuesday morning to the city's Centennial Bridge, where a 19-year-old woman had climbed onto the outside girder and appeared to be getting ready to jump.
Deputy police chief Brian Cummings said on Thursday the woman was "about 15 feet above the roadway on one of the steel girders of the bridge hanging out over the water," which was perhaps about 100 feet below.
When Vickers arrived, he climbed out after her, Sgt. Dana Hicks said.
"Vickers got out onto the girder with the young lady to prevent her from falling or jumping off, at considerable risk to himself," Hicks said in a release.
A passing motorist saw what was happening, stopped his vehicle and climbed out to secure Vickers' ankles until Const. Bradley Gallant arrived, Hicks said.
"The second officer was a trained hostage negotiator, just as it happened, and he was able to engage in conversation with the female, and after about 10 minutes, I'm sure what seemed like an eternity, they were able to talk her back in," said Cummings.
"My understand is she's getting some treatment and that's a good thing."
Kevin Vickers, who famously shot gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau in 2014 while Parliament's sergeant-at-arms, commended his son on Twitter, saying that he was doing "God's work," and that he was proud of him. The elder Vickers is now Canada's ambassador to Ireland.
Cummings said the officers told him "it's just another day on the job." In fact, it wasn't the first time Andrew Vickers helped save a woman's life.
Vickers jumped into the frigid Miramichi river in October 2011 to rescue a woman after a car crash.
According to a description of that rescue from St. John Ambulance New Brunswick, which gave Vickers and two other people life-saving awards, Vickers saw the woman struggling in the river.
"With a rope tied to his waist, Const. Vickers swam to the woman with great difficulty, as the water was causing him to be hypothermic. Having reached the woman, Const. Vickers worked to tow her to shore even though he was feeling the extreme effects of the cold water. Somehow the rope became unattached," St. John Ambulance said in a Facebook post.
"At this point, off duty volunteer firefighter Stephen Gammon ran into the water with the rope now attached to him and secured by Sgt. Leslie Saunders. Stephen took hold of Const. Vickers and the woman and swam them to shore with the assistance of Sgt. Saunders and the rope."
