WEYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - An off-duty fire chief who, along with his brother, rushed to the aid of the victims of a boat crash off Weymouth on Friday that left two people hospitalized with serious injuries is now being commended for his actions.
“It was just natural instinct to help them out,” said Hanson Fire Chief Robert O’Brien, who was with his off-duty Weymouth police officer brother, Ed O’Brien, during a day of fishing when they came across the chaotic scene following a crash involving a motorboat and a sailboat. The sailboat, he said, was sinking.
“I could tell that the woman I was with had been hit by the prop but we didn’t know how bad it was until we got her out of the water and onto the police boat. The other gentleman, once we moved him over, my brother realized he had a life-threatening injury going on,” he said.
Both victims were rushed to Boston Medical Center. The people on the motorboat were uninjured.
When asked what he thinks of he and his brother being hailed as heroes, O’Brien said, “We do our jobs because we like to help people.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)