ALFRED — Back in March, 2010, an infant, his 3 year-old sister and their mother were rescued by a passerby who clambered down a steep embankment and jumped into the Little Ossipee River in North Waterboro to free them from their submerged car.

The driver of the car was headed south on New Dam Road near Ledgemere Dam when she lost control of the car on a bridge at about 4 p.m. The Toyota hit the guardrail and catapulted into the river.

The woman who rescued the family was Lisa Boisvert of North Waterboro.

“I ran down to the car and yelled to the woman,” Boisvert told a reporter that evening. She said she noticed the rear window was smashed open and told the children’s mother not to panic, explaining that as she opened the car door, more water would flood in. She said the children were screaming.

“I jumped in and freed the door,” said Boisvert. She said both children were fastened in their car seats in the back seat. The woman in the driver’s seat was trying to reach behind to free them. Boisvert said she grabbed the infant first and got him out, passing the baby to another woman on the embankment and then worked with the children’s mother to free the other child. Then Boisvert helped the children’s mother out of the vehicle.

“We got some clothes and blankets bundled them up and tried to keep them calm,” she said. Soon after, rescue units and police arrived.

Boisvert said she didn’t think twice about jumping into the river.

“It was instinct,” she said during that 2010 telephone interview. “I wasn’t scared ”“ I was more afraid for their sake. You could feel the current and the power of the water.”

She said she tried twice to open the door, to no avail. Her third attempt was successful.

“I said “God, just give me the strength and I forced it open,” Boisvert said. “The water was up to my neckline and I was standing on a tree limb to reach ”“ I’m five foot two.”

Boisvert was recognized for her effort at the time by the Maine Legislature, through an initiative by former Rep. Joseph Wagner.

And the York County Sheriff’s Office, which responded to the scene that day, intended to honor her too. They ordered a plaque and then, as it sometimes does, time got away from them.

Sheriff William “Bill’” King said the plaque was recently discovered tucked away in a file cabinet and the department decided to convey the honor.

“Recently, I called Lisa and told her the sheriff’s office would like to honor her at an awards ceremony,” King said in a prepared statement. “Lisa hesitated. She thanked me for calling her but could not commit to attending the event because of planned surgery. She shared that last September she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and has already had two surgeries. I started to apologize, but Lisa stopped me ”“ in an upbeat, positive voice she said she has accepted her medical condition and will do what it takes to beat cancer. It was evident, Lisa’s courage was not limited to a solo act in 2010, rather this is the way she lives her life.”

Recently, Boisvert and the deputies got together and the honor was conveyed, a signal that while time had passed, acts of courage and heroism don’t fade.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].