About 7 people a year die trying to save others from drowning in Canada, study finds – CTV
July 31, 2025
TORONTO — A new study says an average of seven people in Canada die each year trying to save another person from drowning.
The researchers found that 74 people drowned between January 2010 and December 2019 after attempting a rescue in the water.
The study examined 4,535 fatal drownings in that 10-year timeframe and found someone tried to rescue more than half of them.
Most of those hundreds of rescuers did not have any lifesaving training, but frequently risked their own lives by trying to grab the drowning person in the water.
Study co-author Tessa Clemens says having someone intervene when a person is drowning is critical to their survival, but it’s important that untrained rescuers use a non-contact method such as calling for help or throwing a life-jacket, floating toy or another buoyant object the person can grab on to.
Clemens, who is a drowning prevention researcher with the Lifesaving Society of Ontario, says many attempted rescues are parents trying to save their children.
