A 75-year-old man is in critical condition after Flagler Beach firefighters pulled him from the ocean April 28, Fire Chief Stephen Cox said in an interview April 29.
The call came in at 12:48 p.m.
A civilian from St. Augustine, who was a Navy veteran and former police officer, swam out to the man and helped in the rescue, Cox said.
The victim was about 100 to 150 yards from shore between the first and second breaks, in the area across from Finn’s off State Road 100 and A1A around noon, said Tom Gillin, the city’s ocean rescue director.
Cox was among three rescue swimmers from the fire department who swam out and brought the man to shore. He was unconscious and did not have a pulse when firefighters reached him.
Flagler County Fire Rescue transported the victim, and they were able to restart his pulse on the way to the hospital.
Cox said that the last report he had was from the previous evening and it indicated that the man was alive but in critical condition at AdventHealth Hospital on State Road 100.
Flagler Beach lifeguards start staffing towers May 2 and 3
The incident happened just days before Flagler Beach lifeguards report to duty.
May 2 and 3 is the first weekend they begin staffing the towers Saturdays and Sundays until Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25, when the towers are then staffed seven days a week through Labor Day. Then lifeguards return to weekends only, Gillin said.
Lifeguards will staff towers from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. from Eighth Street South to Seventh Street North, which is basically the area covered by the boardwalk, he said.
Unknown if rip current affected man swimming at Flagler Beach
Gillin said he didn’t know whether a rip current played any part in the Tuesday’s incident.
But he said had lifeguards been on duty, Tuesday would have been a red flag day, signaling people to stay out of the water.
“It was just generally rough,” Gillin said of the ocean. “And it sounds like he got out there and couldn’t get back in and that’s usually when panic sets in.”
He said drownings and water rescues are unusual on rough days because people stay on shore.
“When it’s really rough people see it and stay out, but when we have moderate conditions people don’t think it looks as bad, so they are liable to take more chances,” Gillin said.
Gillin also added that it’s possible the man had a medical emergency while out in the water.
“It’s sad,” Gillin said. “You hate to see these things happen.”
Flagler Beach Fire Chief says dangerous rip currents were in the area
Cox said it may be determined that the victim had an underlying medical condition.
But the ocean was hazardous nonetheless.
“We had some dangerous rip currents in the area yesterday and the surf was about 3 to 4 feet,” Cox said.
He asked people to take care when at the beach.
“For everyone else who is visiting the beach, just please be mindful of the rip currents in the area,” Cox said. “I use the term ‘When in doubt don’t go out.’”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Man found unresponsive in Flagler Beach waves still hospitalized
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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