Archive for Monday, August 6, 2007
Swimmer rescued at family outing
August 6, 2007
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Bystanders hear a family's cry for help, come to the rescue
A 34-year-old Lawrence man nearly drown while swimming in Clinton Lake this afternoon. Officers say the victim was attempting to swim from the shore to a Pontoon boat that had other family members on it. Enlarge video
A 34-year-old Lawrence man attempting to swim from shore to a nearby boat had to be rescued Sunday afternoon from Clinton Lake.
The man was taken by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital after bystanders performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, said Aaron Henrichs, a natural resource officer with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The man was alive when medics took him to LMH, Henrichs said.
Officers said the man was at a family gathering with six other people in Bloomington Park, on the lake's southwestern side near the Clinton Lake Museum.
He was attempting to swim from the shore to a pontoon boat that had other family members on it, Henrichs said. The man did not make it; he dipped below the water and bystanders had to pull him back to shore.
Someone from the boat called 911 at 2:32 p.m., officers said.
Quinn Long, of Lawrence, said he was about to put a sailboat in the water when he heard people yelling to call 911 from several hundred feet away.
Long said he ran toward the man's family members, and saw him near the edge of the water. A woman who identified herself as a nurse began to perform CPR.
The man did vomit a few times, Long said.
"It didn't look real good," he said.
Medics and officers arrived, including a volunteer crew from Clarion Springs Emergency Medical Service, two off-duty firefighters, medics with two Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical ambulances, and officers with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Division Chief Joe Hoelscher, of Fire and Medical, said the agency's first ambulance arrived at 2:44 p.m. after other medics and officers were on the scene.
Henrichs said the agencies were still investigating what caused the man to disappear below the water. The man's name was not released, and an update on his condition was not available Sunday night from the sheriff's office.
More like this
- Man dies, a day after being pulled from Clinton Lake 1 comment / August 6, 2007
- 6News video: Bystanders hear a family's cry for help, come to the rescue August 5, 2007
- Man drowns at Lone Star Lake 8 comments / March 1, 2008
- Victim of drowning dies at hospital August 7, 2007
- Fisherman drowns on windy lake 4 comments / March 2, 2008
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6 August 2007
at 9:11 a.m.
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Cityboy (Anonymous) says…
“The man was alive when medics took him to LMH, Henrichs said.”
Is the guy still alive? It didn't look good from where were at!
6 August 2007
at 11:04 a.m.
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tweetybird2 (Anonymous) says…
I just received a phone call that said he did not make it. So sad.
6 August 2007
at 11:51 a.m.
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METALQ2 (Anonymous) says…
Topeka news already had confirmation of the death by late afternoon yesterday. Our condolences go out to the family and all involved.
6 August 2007
at 2:16 p.m.
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concernedparent (Anonymous) says…
tweetybird are you sure your info is correct? I had a family member tell me he is in fact still alive.
6 August 2007
at 2:42 p.m.
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Machiavelli_mania (Anonymous) says…
Clinton has a spot that tends to suck people under. I have heard of two other first-person reports about a strong eddy in Clinton that has scared the beegeebies (sp?) out of boating swimmers.
Perhaps education in how to swim out of a strong eddy is needed.
6 August 2007
at 2:54 p.m.
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Cityboy (Anonymous) says…
Did he have a lifejacket on?
Machiavelli_mania,
Your first -person reports, were they wearing lifejackets?
6 August 2007
at 3:07 p.m.
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livinthedream (Anonymous) says…
What is a strong eddy?
6 August 2007
at 3:20 p.m.
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WereAllMonkeys (Anonymous) says…
Livininadream, Eddy: A current, as of water or air, moving contrary to the direction of the main current, especially in a circular motion.
If you feel yourself pulled by an eddy, do NOT swim against it (opposite to the direction of the pull), try to swim at an angle (try for 90 degrees.) You will feel the pull stop fairly quickly and you can swim to the surface easily. That's what I was taught in the early 70's and then taught in the late 70's.
6 August 2007
at 3:53 p.m.
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gnilkcirts (Anonymous) says…
I can tell you that this young man has passed as I am a family member. He was left on life support so that he can possibly be an organ donor. I do not know how long he will be on life support or if he still is at this hour.
6 August 2007
at 4:23 p.m.
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Cityboy (Anonymous) says…
gnilkcirts,
I am so sorry. We were out on the lake yesterday and saw the commotion and heard the sirens. Please accept my condolences.
6 August 2007
at 4:29 p.m.
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KsTwister (Anonymous) says…
We are going to miss this wonderful young man. Things can just happen for no good reason, this would be one. All his family was right there, a para-medics picnic right there,and as we gather to celebrate his life all the love will be right there. What ifs will serve no purpose there is no explanation or we would have found one. May his young family find the love and support to help them.
6 August 2007
at 6:11 p.m.
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juscin3 (Anonymous) says…
gnilkcirts, I'm sorry about the loss of a loved one. I knew him through his wife and had visited him and his family a while back when I took my niece back over there. His wife and I spoke briefly on the phone a little while ago and he was in fact still on life support.
May God be with him, his wife and family through this time of pain and sorrow.