North Dakota man who saved drowning teen in Otter Tail Lake 'would do it again'

Cooper Hinrichs, 34, of Lidgerwood, N.D. (Elizabeth Vierkant/Focus)

By Elizabeth Vierkant and

July 28, 2021 at 9:38 AM

BATTLE LAKE, Minnesota 鈥� Cooper Hinrichs was enjoying his vacation on a dock on Otter Tail Lake Sunday, July 25, when he saw a girl who'd just exited the water.

The 14-year-old girl called for help, saying she'd almost drowned. At first, Hinrichs didn't think anything of it since she was no longer in the water. But then he saw a boy who was still stuck in the bridge's bypass culvert.

The girl had gotten stuck into the bypass first, but the 15-year-old boy was able to help her out before getting stuck himself. The girl was pushed out by the water, but the boy remained stuck and couldn't keep his head above water. The boy, whose legs were stuck, was calling out for help to some people fishing near him in the water, but they didn't know what to do.

Hinrichs said he didn't even think. He walked up the river, got underneath the bridge, made sure he could get to the boy without risk and grabbed ahold of him.

Hinrichs was sitting on this dock when he saw the kids struggling in the water. (Elizabeth Vierkant/Focus)

"I just saw that he needed help," Hinrichs, 34, of Lidgerwood, North Dakota, said. "If I was in the same situation, I would've wanted someone to help me."

Hinrichs was able to pull the boy out of the bypass, likely saving his life.

The two teenagers suffered minor scrapes and bruises. The teens were not identified by the sheriff's office; but the girl was from California and the boy was from Minnesota.

A news release from the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office said the near-drowning was close to Zorbaz restaurant at a bridge by the Otter Tail County Highway 72 dam.

The sheriff's office asked the public not to swim by dams and spillways and to use extreme caution when on or in the water due to low water levels. The Otter Tail Water Patrol, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Battle Lake Police Department and Battle Lake Fire and Rescue also responded to the incident.

Hinrichs at first was reluctant to speak with media because he doesn't like the spotlight. For him, the recognition feels strange.

"I didn't think about what was going to happen after (I saved him)," Hinrichs said. "I just knew in the moment that he needed help, so I just went for it."

Hinrichs wants people to be aware of where they're swimming and the dangers that can't be seen. The boy and girl told him they'd both been swimming most of their lives, but they didn't realize that with the water so low, there would be an undercurrent. They're experienced swimmers, but they weren't expecting the danger.

"If it happened today, I would go over there and do it again," Hinrichs said.