J.W. Westcott pulls second man from Detroit River in two weeks

DETROIT (FOX 2) - For the second time in ten days, the iconic J.W. Westcott saved another man's life after pulling a fisherman from the Detroit River this week.

After saving an Ambassador Bridge employee on July 12, the crew of the J.W. Westcott were celebrated as heroes. This weekend, they're once again getting those well-deserved accolades.

The J.W. Westcott has serviced boats for almost 150 years. They deliver mail for the freighters that float on the Great Lakes. Originally started in 1874 as a rowboat, it eventually was granted U.S. Postal Service status in 1948, becoming the only floating zip code in the country.

Finding people in the Detroit River isn't common but when it does happen, the crew of the J.W. Westcott are ready.

"Our plan is just to act swift and prompt, we’re trained to do this you only have seconds," deckhand Al Holland said. "It is unique It’s not something we would see all the time, a lot of time it’s mostly body recovery."

But this month, they've saved two different people - first a worker from the Ambassador Bridge and then another tragedy was avoided thanks to the boat.

"That’s 150 feet, approximately from where he fell to the water," Holland said. "And then just yesterday on Saturday someone had a mishap misjudged the dock and fell into the water."

The man was fishing at the time and decided to his line of fish in the water. But when he bent over, he went a little too far and fell in. The Westcott was there and threw in the life preserver.

"You just toss it out there and they have to do some work," Holland said. "I wear my life vest and I’m standing right there, it makes me nervous."

When every second counts, the training they've received has proven vital as they act quickly to pull in people on the choppy waters of the Detroit River.

As the fisherman nearly found out, the strong undertow and current will you down.

"Stay out of the river, it’s not safe, it’s a working river," Holland said.