Off-duty Vernon cop saves woman from drowning in Lake Country

Vernon North Okanagan RCMP Const. Kerri Parish was in the right place at the right time to rescue a woman who fell off her floatation device in Okanagan Lake earlier this month.

Parrish was visiting Pebble Beach in Okanagan Centre with her family on Friday, July 9, when she saw the woman who appeared to be having trouble staying afloat after falling off the floatie.

“Kerri grabbed her paddleboard and raced out to the woman, now fully submerged in the water,” states a new release from Vernon North Okanagan RCMP issued today, July 23. “Kerri pulled the woman to the surface and swam her back to safety at the shore.”

The woman was disoriented but was otherwise fine.

“I knew something was wrong and I had to act quickly,” Parish said in the release. “I feel blessed to have been in the right place and time, with the right equipment available that allowed me to help.”

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