Awards ceremony 2023

A passerby rescues a woman from the cold Rhine near Basel's Cargo Kultur Bar.

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Basel, April 13, 2022. It was 9:18 a.m. when a woman fell from the Mittlere Brücke (Middle Bridge) in Basel into the Rhine. Ersan Sokullu, who was staying in his apartment above the river, saw the woman screaming for help and floating in the water. He immediately rushed barefoot from the Vogel-Gryff ferry to the Cargo Bar (150 meters away), climbed over the Rhine embankment, and jumped into the 14°C water. At the Johanniterbrücke (St. John's Bridge), Mr. Sokullu reached the hysterically flailing woman and pulled her through the current to the Rheinbadhaus St. Johann. There, on the banks of the Rhine, he was able to hold her and hand her over to the rescuers who had arrived in the meantime.

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The rescuer exposed himself to danger both due to the effects of cold water after physical exertion (sprinting) and because of the potential threat posed by the woman flailing in the water.

A passerby successfully rescues a man from drowning in the Aare.

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The 37-meter-high Lorraine Bridge connects the city center of Bern with the northern Lorraine district, spanning the Aare River valley.

On the morning of May 29, 2022, a man jumped from the tall Lorraine Bridge into the cold Aare River, where the water temperature was 13.6°C. He submerged and then resurfaced, but soon floated motionless in the current.

A walker noticed the incident and entered the Aare to reach the victim. He initially succeeded but soon found himself in distress and desperately called for help. He was then forced to release the floating body in order to save himself.

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Kaspar Mauerhofer, watching from the opposite bank, also entered the water. He managed to grasp the body and swam with it to the shore. A doctor also entered the river to assist Mauerhofer but was too far away and eventually returned to the bank. Mauerhofer was able to bring the still-unresponsive and unconscious jumper to shore, where he and the doctor cared for him until emergency medical services arrived.

Woman in distress owes her life to a 16-year-old girl.

 

In Wolhusen, Canton of Lucerne, hydropower has been used since the Middle Ages, initially for mills and later for industrial purposes. On July 19, 2022, a woman, her 9-year-old son, and two younger children were enjoying a summer day at a weir in the river. Suddenly, the woman lost her footing and was unable to push one of the boys to the bank, while her son managed to get to safety on his own.

16-year-old Alina hears the cries for help and jumps into the water to save the 6- and 8-year-old boys. She pulls them near the shore, where they are rescued by her brother and passersby. The woman also makes it to shore. Alina's courageous rescue of the panicked children was a remarkable act.

Injured person saved from drowning in Lake Ceresio by a housewife.

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On May 25, 2022, at around noon, Mrs. Piotti was at Lake Ceresio enjoying the day when she noticed someone in the water in distress. Recognizing the person's lack of swimming ability, she immediately kept an eye on him. After swimming 40 meters offshore, the victim began to show signs of distress (cramps and exhaustion) and started to thrash uncontrollably in an attempt to stay afloat.

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Mrs. Piotti quickly went to him and managed to just in time grab hold of him, supporting him on the surface before he sank. He was brought to shore in a semi-conscious state and was then attended to by emergency services (112) and taken to hospital.

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Water rescues are particularly dangerous because the exhausted victim often clings to the person trying to help. That’s exactly what happened to the rescuer with the unfortunate man. In trying to save him, she exposed herself to the risks of exhaustion and drowning.

Brave woman saves teenager from approaching train at railway crossing.

 

On November 18, 2022, at 5:15 p.m., a traffic accident occurred at a level crossing in Obergomerkinden, Hasle near Burgdorf. A teenage motorcyclist crashed into a closed level crossing barrier at high speed. He fell and remained dazed.

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On the opposite side, a motorist becomes aware of the incident, gets out of her vehicle, crawls under the barrier, and rushes to the injured person. The boy is responsive but in great pain. His legs are still near the tracks. Sabrina Chanson doesn't hesitate; she drags the victim out of the immediate danger zone and onto the gravel bed. Immediately afterwards, the train passes next to the two people. In doing so, it takes a dangling bar of the barrier with it, but fortunately, neither the victim nor the rescuer is hit.

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Sabrina Chanson is now being assisted by other people present in caring for the boy until the police and paramedics arrive.

Seven members of an Afghan family—the two parents with their five children—are at the Muralto children's playground in Burbaglio on July 11, 2022. The playground is a busy, well-shaded area on Lake Maggiore, particularly popular with young children.

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The 9-year-old boy of this extended family decides to take a dip in the lake. Without notifying his parents, he enters the water and walks away from the shore. Suddenly, he loses his footing and dives under. Jérôme, too, was enjoying the sunny day when he noticed this incident. Since the boy didn't resurface, Jérôme quickly plunged into the pleasant, 27°C water to quickly rescue the stricken boy from his predicament. Four meters from the shore, he managed to grab him and bring him to safety.

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The boy may have Jérôme to thank for his second life, as it was only in safety that he began to recover.

Skier rescued at the last minute from the stream of the Furgg Glacier.

 

On May 1, 2022, a skier fell off-piste into a glacial stream near Zermatt. Mountain rescuers had difficulty locating him as the current swept him several meters downhill under a blanket of snow. He was finally found after 70 minutes.

The rescue is challenging, as a diver is far away and the skier's condition is deteriorating. Rescue specialist Thomas Zumtaugwald abseils into the cold water and acts quickly to save the unconscious skier. He reaches the victim, secures him with a harness, and the rescuers pull him from a depth of five meters to the surface.

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After two hours in the glacier water, the skier is severely hypothermic, with a body temperature of 26°C. The successful rescue is the result of effective cooperation between the rescue teams, with Zumtaugwald risking his life.

Rescuers pull injured surfer from the Aare River. The victim dies at the scene.

 

The Scherzlig Lock in Thun was built in 1726 to replace a dam across the Aare River. It serves as a regulating mechanism, power generation, and flood protection. Its waves and whirlpools attract numerous surfers every year. Also on October 23, 2022. This Sunday afternoon, a river surfer falls from his board near the upper lock in Thun and is pulled underwater for several minutes.

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Third parties alert the police. During a search, they spot the motionless 49-year-old man near the station bridge. When the victim resurfaced and continued to drift along the Aare, Mr. Imhoof selflessly jumped, fully clothed, into the 15°C water. He was able to grab the lifeless body from a distance of 10 to 15 meters and pull it to shore. Other people provided life-sustaining measures. These continued until emergency services arrived. Nevertheless, the man's death at the scene could not be prevented.

A brave police officer braves the flames and saves a one-and-a-half-year-old child in Noville VD.

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On February 28, 2022, at 6:50 p.m., a report was received of an incident in the kitchen of an apartment located on the first floor. It was indicated that the woman was trapped on the balcony, while her one-and-a-half-year-old grandson was still in the kitchen.

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Arriving at the scene, the police discovered that the woman had been injured while jumping from the balcony. She wanted to return to her apartment through the main door and get the child out. Despite her injuries, she managed to reach her door but was unable to open it. Unable to do so, the police officers exited the building.

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One of them, Officer David Steinbach, climbed the gutter to access the balcony, where he found a resident of the building already attempting to assist. There, Mr. Steinbach broke the window of the door and entered the smoke-filled apartment to rescue the baby outside. The rescuer put himself in danger not only by climbing the damaged water drain but also through the broken glass and the intense exposure to the smoke.