CANON CITY — When Cody Farrington saw a mother and daughter struggling for their lives in the rapids of the Arkansas river, he says instinct kicked in, and he pulled them to safety.
Now, he wants to find them to help make sure something like this never happens to them again.
It was a perfect day in Canon City on Saturday.
“My girlfriend and I decided to come down to the blossom day parade,” Farrington said.
--A perfect day for Farrington to take a detour.
“We wanted to just come take a look at the river,” he said.
They stopped on a pedestrian bridge over the river near Centennial Park.
“Taking pictures, taking in the scenery,” he said.
But as they turned to face the other way.
“That’s when we heard her yelling for us,” Farrington said.
They saw a woman and a young girl struggling to stay afloat in those unforgiving waters.
“The mother and the daughter were about where the fast current looks to be,” he said.
Instinct kicked in.
“Hesitation kills,” he said. “And I didn’t want to hesitate.”
He ran down the bridge, down the rocks onto the river bank.
“Hopped in the water, swam out to them, grabbed them, and pulled them right back to where the rocks are,” Farrington said.
They made it out unharmed.
“They just kept telling me ‘you saved our life, you saved our life,’” he said.
But nevermind that fact.
“I’m sure I’m not the only one who would’ve done that,” Farrington said.
And nevermind his 11 years of Navy service with two tours of duty. ‘Hero’ is not a word he wants to hear.
“I don’t want any recognition,” he said. “I don’t. Absolutely not.”
What he does want, is to find that mother and daughter.
“I would 100 percent love to pay for their water training, or get them in contact with someone who can do water training for them.”
He says he’s willing to pay whatever it takes to get that mother and daughter the water training they need to feel comfortable escaping from the water.
And about that detour he took--
“That question… why were you on the bridge instead of at the parade… is one I haven’t really taken on,” Farrington said.
It’ll never be about why he took it or how he took it.
“I simply did what I hope somebody else would do for my children.”
