I-Team: Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputies patrolling Lake Erie rescue woman

CLEVELAND (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team uncovered the story of a life-saving rescue on the water.

Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputies patrolling Lake Erie on Aug. 30 found a woman fighting for her life.

Semi, dump truck collide; 2 local drivers hurt

“We got the call around 2:15 last Friday,” said Sgt. Steven Veverka. “A storm popped up quickly. The storm hit hard. The waves kicked up. The wind kicked up.”

The deputies rushed to the area and found the woman, Rose Jaworski, struggling in the water.

“When we got close enough, we could actually hear Rose coughing up water,” said detective Kurt Stamm.

He said they threw a life ring to Rose and then were able to pull her safety. They then helped her get on their boat.

Rose and her husband Ken said they were out on a water scooter when the storm started. They tried to turn around and go back to shore, but the strong winds and waves knocked them off the watercraft.

Akron chemical fire still burning, air quality remains safe: Akron officials

Ken was able to get back on the water scooter.

“We entered the lake out of Rocky River and were heading east and when we left it was a beautiful day,” Ken said. “The waves got a little choppy when we got to Edgewater and we decided to turn back. But then the waves and wind made it impossible. We started using our safety whistles and two other boaters came to help us.”

A person that was in one boat was a doctor. She jumped in the water to help Rose. A few moments later, deputies arrived.

“I felt like I was drowning,” Rose said. “The rain was real hard. It was just really scary. But when the deputies arrived I felt 100% better. They are my heroes.”

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.