Strangers Rescue 3-Year-Old from Flipped Kayak in Kent County

Another reminder that the waters are unpredictable this time of the year in Michigan.

Firefighters and police in Plainfield Township received a call at around 5 PM on Sunday about a kayak accident on the Rogue River.

A kayak that was carrying a 3-year-old boy and one of his parents had flipped over and separated them. Luckily, the accident was spotted by two good samaritans - Austin Angell of Grandville and Halie Peters from Cedar Springs.

The spotted the kayak going downriver and were able to free the boy from the webbing that he was tangled up in in the kayak. The boy was uninjured and awake.

The local firefighters union posted the following to their Facebook page:

Shortly after 5pm today, PFD was dispatched to a water rescue on the Rogue River near the Childsdale Ave. bridge. A 3-year-old boy was separated from his parent when their kayak tipped over. Good Samaritan's Austin Angell of Grandville and Halie Peters of Cedar Springs found the missing kayak approximately 1/8th of a mile downriver. At the time, the kayak was overturned and the child was trapped underneath it. They turned it upright and freed the child from the webbing he was tangled in. To their surprise, the child was alert and uninjured. If it wasn't for their quick actions, the outcome would have been much worse. PFD would like to commend Austin and Halie for their actions. Their willingness to take action saved the child's life.

At this time, we would like to discourage anyone from boating on the river. The water is moving very fast and conditions are unpredictable.