Linnette Hannah grieves the loss of her boyfriend. His body was found Sunday by search divers at the bottom of the South Saskatchewan River ( Tiffany Goodwein/ CHAT NEWS)

By Tiffany Goodwein

‘I wish I stopped him:’ Woman recounts drowning incident along South Saskatchewan River

Aug 3, 2020 | 12:04 PM

MEDICINE HAT AB- It was a Saturday evening, one etched in a desperate search and the tragic loss of a 31-year-old man. The incident has left a Medicine Hat woman grieving and wondering if she could have done more on that fateful day.

The tragedy unfolded when Linnette Hannah and her boyfriend decided to take a trip to the river to cool off.

CHAT News has decided not to name the boyfriend out of respect for the family.

The pair, according to Hannah, both entered the water and Hannah said her boyfriend wanted to see if he could cross the river to the other side.

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She told CHAT News that she stayed back towards the shore so she could keep an eye on their backpack. The woman then recounted seeing her boyfriend travel about halfway across the river when things took a turn.

“I saw him drifting towards the City Hall and I kind of seen him but not really. I seen him go up and down, and then go back up again. I wasn’t sure if he was tired or if he could catch the other side of the river. There was lots of people on the other side and people on their rafts and someone said someone was drowning,” she said.

“So I hopped into the river to get to the middle and by the time I got there the boulders under the bridge, I got stuck and then it swept me off to the left and that’s when the cops pulled me into their boat,” she added.

Neither Hannah nor her boyfriend were wearing life jackets, something she said could have saved his life.

“The current was really strong so he probably got tired and couldn’t fight it anymore,” she said.

The event triggered a massive search encompassing the Medicine Hat Fire Service, the Medicine Hat Police, South Eastern Alberta Search and Rescue, and HALO Air Ambulance.

His body was recovered at the bottom of the river around noon on day two of the search.

“I wish I stopped him, I wish I could have taken his place, I wish it was me and not him,” Hannah said

As the grieving continues for the man that she said always treated her well, Hannah hopes that by sharing her story, more people will take precautions, like wearing life jackets in order to avoid a similar tragedy.