A man was pulled from Bowen’s Creek in the Bassett area on Tuesday, June 3, after experiencing an apparent medical emergency while swimming, according to Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis.
Davis said the man is believed to have suffered a medical episode while in the water, prompting a rescue by his family members.
“He subsequently had to be rescued from the water by his family members,” Davis said. “Those same family members initiated CPR and continued until the rescue units arrived on scene and took over.”
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting a large gathering at the scene and responded to assist with crowd control so emergency personnel could provide medical treatment.
Once the Bassett Volunteer Rescue Squad arrived, first responders took over CPR efforts and were able to achieve a return of spontaneous circulation—successfully restarting the man’s heart, Davis said.
The estimated “downtime,” or the period the man was without a heartbeat, is believed to be about eight minutes. Davis said the initial 911 call came in at 5:16 p.m., and the Bassett squad arrived at 5:24 p.m. He estimated that the man’s family performed CPR for approximately 10 minutes before EMS crew members took over.
The man was later airlifted from a nearby landing zone at Mount Hermon Church of the Brethren by Air Life 1. His identity and current condition have not been released.
