CONCORD, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities say an elderly man who was pulled from a lake in Concord is expected to recover.
Beachgoers at Walden Pond say the man was practicing holding his breath underwater when he never resurfaced. Fortunately, a group of good Samaritans noticed that something was wrong and pulled him to shore, where an off-duty firefighter performed CPR for almost 10 minutes.
David Reese was next to the man when the incident occurred and watched as he continued to stay under.
“People who know him says he does this all the time you know, this is part of his yoga routine,” Reese said.
But, after 90 seconds and no movement, Reese knew he had to act.
“I knew something was wrong so I reached over, I pulled him out and I hauled him back out of the water,” Resse continued.
That is when off-duty lifeguard Dimitri Psyhojos jumped into action.
“There was clearly water in his lungs,” Psyhojos said. “But, I did mouth-to-mouth on him and the color of his face got a lot more red. That means more oxygen going through his blood.”
The lifeguard remembered the sight of the good Samaritans pulling the man to shore saying, “When we pulled him out he was really blue.”
Medics arrived a short time later, placing the man in a boat and then taking him to an ambulance.
State Police confirm the man is expected to recover.
“We all high-tened each other and it was a team effort,” Reese said. “It’s good that when something happens people do jump in.”
Psyhojos said he has practiced giving CPR hundreds of times but has never had to perform it. Not until today, when his hard work paid off.
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