MILWAUKEE — Two fishermen are being called heroes after their fishing trip on Lake Michigan Monday evening turned into a rescue mission.
Three people were taken to the hospital after their boat capsized shortly after 6 p.m. in the McKinley Marina, the Milwaukee Fire Department confirmed.
It was Mitchell Orlowski and Kurt Kimpton that pulled the family out of the water.
The two friends from the Wisconsin Dells area spent the holiday weekend fishing on Lake Michigan. On their way out on the water Monday evening, they said they saw a flipped boat in the waves.
"It started splashing and making waves. In a short time, we were losing visual of that boat pretty fast and could tell it was going down," Orlowski recalled.
They said they raced over in their small fishing boat, and saw three people and a dog clinging to the capsized vessel.
"We got them in the boat safely and we both did chest compressions. She was spitting up water and immediately started changing color because she was purple at first," Orlowski explained.
Orlowski said the family was out past the break wall when they hit a big wave that tipped their boat. They added that the family was not wearing life jackets when they approached, but rather using them to stay afloat.
The Milwaukee Fire Department(MFD) met the duo in the water before escorting them back to McKinley Marina.
MFD Battalion Chief Brian Giegerich confirmed two adults, a teenager, and the dog were taken to the hospital as a precaution, but that everyone is okay.
"These guys are very courageous. It takes a lot to get somebody out of the water," Giegerich said.
Orlwoski and Kimpton said they are grateful the family is okay.
"Just in the right place at the right time. I don't think we're heroes. We just did what we had to do," Kimpton said.
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