Teen Rescued from Near Drowning

[Just Sold]

A teen was rescued by his friend and the friends dad from almost drowning at Winnipesaukee.
WMUR: http://www.wmur.com/news/20082916/detail.html

[Lakesrider]

Yep. One lucky kid to have a quick thinking friend, who has a dad that is a paramedic....

Especially with the length of time he was gone. I wonder if he saw "the light"?

[Lakegeezer]

Has the Loch Winnie monster returned? The article says he "was playing frisbee in water with his friends on Lake Winnipesaukee when the boy was pulled under" and is now stable.

[SAUGUS BOATER]

Maybe it was the undertow. The undertow can get pretty strong when the tide shifts on Winni. :rolleye2:

Good ending to the story though. Lucky kid..... Good friend...

[AC2717]

as to what pulled under means in the lake?
this does not sound right at all

[Rinkerfam]

He was reaching for the frisbee and took in a mouthful of water. That's all it takes under the right conditions. Scary!!

[SAUGUS BOATER]

He was reaching for the frisbee and took in a mouthful of water. That's all it takes under the right conditions. Scary!!

Oh, Oh, looks like we'll be needing some new "frisbee regulations" for the lake next summer. Maybe you can only play frisbee in 4.5 feet of water (in daytime, 2.5 feet at night!!!):rolleye2:

[rander7823]

If this happened on Wednesday I can see how someone could be pulled under. The high winds that day had a pretty big chop going.
We were up on vacation and I was swimming out to the float at Samoset and the only thing I could equate it to was being on the ocean.

[dpg]

I didn't realize sound is the last thing to go. Good thing to know if your trying to help someone. Even if you think someone is "out of it" guess you need to keep speaking to them. :rolleye1:

[VitaBene]

What a story, he was probably only seconds away. Thankfully there was a CPR trained person there to help.

I witnessed a similar situation at the Suissevale beach a few years back- it was amazing to see everyone pitch in to save a guy's life.

[mcdude]

Follow this link for video INTERVIEW with JOHN LEE (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/20087856/index.html)

[bobdog1047]

This message needs to be heard. It is truly a miracle and testimony of how with God's guidance, the First Responder and 911 system can truly save lives. We all know how this incident could have turned out.

Thank you

Bob



http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/friends_rescue_boy_from_drowning_071809



http://www.wmur.com/video/20087856/?taf=man



http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/20082916/detail.html?taf=bos







I am the father of the Lifeguard Bobby O'Donnell who pulled his friend from the bottom of Lake Winnipesaukee on July 16, 2009, and initiated CPR, and with the help of his friends notified me who within less than a minute was at my son's side assisting him in the successful resusitation of John who in my 30 years as a Firefighter/ Captain/ Paramedic and Emergency Room Nurse.



This incident will be be truly the most dramatic, successful lifesaving events of my professional career. I am the shift commander of Group 4 of the Stoughton Fire Department in Stoughton MA. It is a busy department that last year responded to 5900 incidents. Fourteen years ago, on my son's first birthday this department with the loss of Firefighter Victor Melendy who was killed in the line of duty in rooming house fire. Never did I think, I would encounter another incident that would so profoundly impact me or others involved. I would to share with you the following thoughts and direct your attention to a letter my son wrote reflecting on his experiences with me while responding with my to a multitude of 911 calls. I am so proud! The essay is entitled "Local 1512" and is attached to this email.



As shift commander, my son, with the permission of the Fire Chief as spent many hou rs at the station and has been allowed to respond to 911 emergency calls with me in the fire car. Also, for 30 years I have worked as an Emergency Room RN at the Brockton Hospital Emergency Department and for the past 3 years have also worked at Speare Memorial ER in Plymouth NH. Brockton is a suburb of Boston, where the diverse population and demographics make sudden death and tragedy no stranger to me. I have participated in and observed my comrades perform lifesaving feats that only professional Firefighter's, Police Officers, Paramedics, Physicians, RNs. and only a handful of Lifeguards and civilians will ever encounter in their lives. This was undoubtedly one of the most gravest incidents of my career with the most slim chances of success. I have analyzed this incident as a Devine collision of circumstances at which at every juncture of the incident decision making tree the exact right decison was made and the proper actions taken the led to the most successful rescue of my career. It was truly a miracle that needs to be shared with everyone to increase awareness and facilitate the prevention of similar events that occur daily and are known only to professional rescuers, and to the society that they encounter and protect daily. It only could have been orchestrated by the good Lord above. Please contact me as this event is truly a miracle. Thank you.


Captain Robert O'Donnell RN/ Paramedic
Stoughton Fire Department
Brockton Hospital Emergency Department
Speare Memorial Emergency Department



Also, reluctantly attached is another fox 25 link aired the same night as John and Bobby's incident that occurred in Attleboro MA with remarkedly amazing parallels and an devastating outcome. Each incident occurred within 24 hours of each other.



http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/divers_search_reservoir_for_boy_071809

[bobdog1047]

Attached is a school paper written by the 15 yr old Lifeguard involved in rescue. It speaks volumes of his character and helps explain how he was able to deal with and execute the rescue. I am so proud to be his father and so grateful that he learned the life lesson's which I was trying to teach him!!
Please read and appreciate this perspective of a 15 yr old boy who responded with me on many actual 911 emergency calls during the past year.
Thank you for reading.

Captain Robert O'Donnell RN / Paramedic
Shift Commander, Group 4, Stoughton Fire Department
Stoughton MA 02072

ER RN / Brockton Hospital ER, Brockton MA
ER RN / Speare Hospital ER, Plymouth NH

Bobby O’Donnell
Mr. J Period 5 Honors English
Free Write Essay
April 26, 2009

Local 1512
One thing that many people do not know about me is that I spend the majority of my free time, when I am not playing my school sports, at the Stoughton Fire Department, the Local 1512. I’m extremely fortunate to be able to spend time and learn from these courageous men and women. I have learned many valuable life lessons while going on calls here. You see different stories on the news everyday and say, “That will never happen to me.” But that’s what all the people that we help think as well. One of the main things that I have learned is that your life can change in a second, and it might not even be your fault, that’s why you need to always be aware of your surroundings.
Many parents tell their kids to never smoke, do drugs, or drink. No kid my age will ever understand this as well as me. Many kids do not listen, and I see this at my own high school. All it takes is one stupid mistake to throw your life away. I have been lucky enough to see the effects that alcohol and drugs have on people. Because of this I will never do drugs, drink, or smoke and hopefully neither will my friends because of what I have told them.
I have also gained a lot of knowledge from the paramedics. Many of them have taken time out of their day just to teach me something new. It has had a huge influence on me because I now know that I want to be a firefighter paramedic because I see what these guys do day in and day out. Also, many of the skills that I learned made it a lot easier to pass my lifeguard certification test. And when I became certified the people who interviewed me for jobs said that the main reason they called back was because of the experience I had going on EMS calls.
Back in January, a man went into cardiac arrest right in front of us. He was only 51 years old, the same age as my dad. The paramedics gave him two shocks with an AED, and revived him. Just a couple weeks ago, I was at his house watching him walk around unscathed except for the scar on his forehead. This was incredible to me, because he’s just a regular guy, just like all of the other victims. That’s one of the main things that helped me make my decision to become a firefighter. I’m only two years away from being old enough to take my EMT course. My time here is helping me tremendously. I’m going to be a step ahead of everyone else, and it’s all thanks to the paramedics here who are helping learn.
I know that the paper is supposed to be short, but I feel it would do these brave men and women unjust if I didn’t mention them. My father is the Captain of group 4. There are 4 groups in the department. Each group has 1 captain and 2 Lieutenants. All of the following men and women are on group four. Lieutenant Mike Carroll is a great guy who has even offered to help me set up a fitness plan, which I hope to do soon. Lieutenant Buddy O’Neil is always fun to talk hockey with, and if I could still play, I would have liked to have played with him. And his wife makes awesome snacks. FF Steve Peck always has a joke and makes the best food at the station. FF Eric Hoffman has created a great website that I highly recommend you check out called www.car6firephotos.com. It’s a great place to check out what these guys do every day, and he even put on some of the pictures that I took. FF Greg Bourget seems to always be laughing, and is who you want to go to if you want cool lights on your car. FF Scott Mellyn is a good sport about me taking the last bowl of S’Mores ice cream. FF Betsy Henderson helped me with my lifeguard exam, and has interested me to take forensics in my junior year. FF Jeff Ledin is always good to took baseball, and make fun of my dad. FF Kurt “Tweety” Weiland always has a good joke about my dad being in a nursing home in a couple of years. FF Kenny McBrayer is always asking about my aquarium, scooping out new fish for me or just asking me about what I’m in to. The newest member of group 4 Tim Medeiros was nice enough to go over the narcotics and drug box with me during the morning ambulance check. There are also many other firefighters from other groups that I have come to know. Lieutenant Jimmy Curtin’s cooking background can possibly rival Steve Peck’s ribs and burgers. Lieutenant Brad Newbury has given me a paramedic book that he uses for his classes to help me learn more before I can start my classes. FF Tim Guillote is a friendly guy to have around and always asks me about how my job interviews went. FF Brian “Two Sleeves” Harkins is the guy you want to hide your Oreos from. FF Mike Schifone has a tremendous heart and a colorful vocabulary. Dispatcher Joe Sbardella deemed me with the nickname “C5.5”. Dispatcher Kelly Donovan helped me with my lifeguard exam. And last but not least Dispatcher Jerry “Received” Monboquette is great to have around, and there is a great picture of him on FF Hoffman’s website under the Candid Pictures section.
Firefighters teach each other. For example Lieutenant Greg “Shmootzie” Goldberg was a rookie on my dad’s group. Now his son is in EMT school and does his riding time at the firehouse, now he’s teaching me. These men and women help people they don’t know every time that they are on duty. They have more courage, bravery, honor, and motivation then any one else I know. I have the utmost respect for every one of these individuals. The local 1512, my friends, my heroes, my role models.

[bobdog1047]

Follow this link:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/stoughton/news/lifestyle/x2141118010/Stoughton-firefighter-s-son-rescues-friend-in-NH-lake

[Lakegeezer]

Thanks Bob, for sharing the paper your son wrote and the newspaper link to the story. He is a hero at an early age and impacted many lives with one act, made possible by his interest in public service. Great story!

[bobdog1047]

Please follow this link for article from Stougton Journal.
Things getting back to normal. Boys back golfing daily. Thanks be to God!

http://www.wickedlocal.com/stoughton/news/lifestyle/x2141118010/Stoughton-firefighter-s-son-rescues-friend-in-NH-lake