EBS STAFF
First responders and bystanders saved a man’s life after he became incapacitated while swimming on Sunday, July 12 at Rainbow Point on Hebgen Lake.
At approximately 5:25 p.m., Hebgen Basin Rural EMS personnel, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a swimmer in distress. An adult male was swimming roughly 100 yards off the shoreline when he became incapacitated and submerged underwater, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. Witnessing the emergency, multiple unrelated bystanders entered the water and swam to where they saw him last. A nearby boating group and several swimmers joined forces to search the area. Together, they successfully located the submerged man, brought him to the surface and transported him back to shore.
Bystanders immediately initiated CPR and other life-saving measures until EMS arrived on the scene. Thanks to the rapid intervention of the public and arriving first responders, the man was successfully resuscitated.
He was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for further medical evaluation and is currently in critical condition, according to the press release.
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer would like to express heartfelt thanks to the bystanders who rushed into action, the boating community and those who initiated CPR. “We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who risked their own safety to save a fellow citizen today,” he stated in the press release.
