A canoe trip down Pennsylvania's Allegheny River turned into a dramatic rescue this summer when a York County Boy Scout troop heard a man screaming for help and found him pinned beneath a submerged tractor. Jeff Manelick had his left leg trapped underneath the tractor's tire in the water when the scouts of Troop 255 reached him, and it took a leader retrieving the machine's keys, along with the muscle of several scouts and emergency workers, to finally free him.
Screams Heard a Mile Or Two Downriver
Troop 255, made up of scouts from the Lake Wylie and Rock Hill areas of York County, ended up on the Allegheny River after its original plans to canoe in Minnesota changed because of wildfires there, according to WSOC-TV. The scouts had traveled roughly a mile or two down the river when they first noticed something was wrong. “It was maybe a mile or two miles in,” one of the scouts recalled, describing the moment they heard Manelick yelling for help while he floated in distress.
When the group reached him, Manelick was stuck in the water with his left leg pinned underneath a tractor tire. A scout leader managed to get the keys to the tractor and moved it off of him, clearing the way for scouts and emergency workers to finish the rescue. Tyler Strong and his father were among those who physically pulled Manelick from the river. “Me and my dad grabbed him by the arms,” Strong said, describing how the group worked together with emergency responders to get Manelick out of the water and to safety.
Hypothermic and In Shock After Rescue
By the time Manelick was pulled from the Allegheny, he was hypothermic and in shock. He was rushed to the hospital, where his condition became starkly clear. “My body temperature was 91.5 when they got me to the emergency room,” Manelick said, according to the same report. Others following behind the scouts on the river were reportedly still 20 to 30 minutes away when the rescue happened, underscoring how much depended on the troop being in the right place at the right time.
Despite the severity of the ordeal, Manelick later reported that he was doing fine. The scale of what the teenagers pulled off has not gone unnoticed within Scouting circles. The local Pittsburgh council of Scouting USA is recommending Troop 255 and its leaders for a lifesaving award, per the same report.
What a Lifesaving Award Recognizes
Scouting America's Lifesaving and Meritorious Action Award exists specifically for moments like this one. According to Scouting America, the honor recognizes registered youth and adults who attempt to save a life or perform notable service using the skills and ideals instilled through Scouting. The process is not immediate: nominations are first submitted to the local council, which then forwards them to the National Court of Honor, which makes the final decision on the award level.
Water rescues in Pennsylvania are not uncommon, and the state has invested in training first responders for exactly these kinds of emergencies. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission launched its Pennsylvania Water Rescue Program back in 1983, and more than 90,000 students have since been trained in current rescue techniques, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. This particular rescue, however, relied on a scout troop's quick thinking rather than a dedicated rescue team.
River trips involving scout groups have made headlines elsewhere this year too. In May, a group of Boy Scouts became stranded in a river in West Virginia, with 30 people ultimately needing rescue from rising floodwaters, according to People. For Troop 255, though, this summer's Allegheny River trip ended not with the scouts needing help, but with them providing it.
