Teen hailed as a hero for saving boater
Mar 21, 2018, 1:19 PM | Updated: Jun 7, 2022, 4:00 pm
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL — A teenager in Florida is hailed as a hero for saving a boater whose vessel capsized over the weekend.
The elderly victim ended up in an alligator-infested lake near Port St. Lucie, but the teen didn’t hesitate to help.
Collin Alley, 14, of Port St. Lucie, was riding home on his dirt bike Feb. 10 when he spotted something unusual out in the middle of the lake next to his home.
“I look out and I see a boat flipped over in the middle of the lake,” Alley said.
He recognized the boat right away—it was his neighbor’s 10-foot sailboat.
At first, Collin couldn’t see anyone in the water near the boat. But he knew he had to do something. Fast.
“So basically I put this on first, the life-preserver and grabbed my board and I just ran as fast as I could. I was running up here and I basically just came down to the shore, threw my board into the water, just swam as fast as I could,” he explained.
As he neared the overturned boat, he saw his neighbor Clif Boyle, 76, a great-grandfather and retired college professor, clinging to the boat.
Reporter Al Peefley, spoke to Boyle via FaceTime, from Rhode Island.
“When he came and swam, I don’t know if he’s an Olympic swimmer to tell you the truth, but he seemed to be coming pretty fast,” Boyle said.
He says Collin offered him the life-preserver, and then Collin who was paddling on his boogie board grabbed a rope and started pulling the capsized sailboat to shore.
“He kept on swimming and I was kicking, but I have to tell you at 76 years old, there’s not a lot of kick left. I can tell you that for sure. And if he didn’t come along I might not be a great-grandfather anymore. I think he really saved my life. I really believe that,” Boyle said.
As Boyle clung to the boat, Alley managed to get the capsized boat back to shore, with the help of a neighbor in a canoe.
“If I would consider a hero of the day, it had to be Collin. He was unbelievable,” Boyle said.
Boyle says he’s been sailing 40 to 50 years and has never capsized before.
“I wouldn’t really call myself a hero, I think I’m just trying to do a good deed,” Alley said.
Alley is a freshman at Ft. Pierce Central High School.
Boyle was treated by paramedics at the scene and did not need to go to the hospital.
Because of his heroic actions, Alley will be honored as a Citizen Hero by the St. Lucie County Fire District at a ceremony Wednesday, March 21.
