WEBER COUNTY, Utah — Police are crediting a good Samaritan with saving a man’s life after a near-drowning at Pineview Reservoir Saturday night.
Sgt. Nealy Adams of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office said they were called to the middle inlet area of Pineview Reservoir at 7:45 p.m. Saturday on a report of a disturbance.
When they arrived they learned that a man in his 20s who was at the reservoir with some friends had gone into the water to swim while “obviously intoxicated.”
A man in a boat nearby saw the man go under the water, and when the victim didn’t resurface he became concerned and went into the water to rescue the victim. That good Samaritan got the man to shore and saw the victim was already turning blue.
The rescuer began CPR, and the chest compressions caused the man to cough up a large amount of water and he began breathing again. The victim was alert and walking around by the time medical units arrived at the scene.
The victim was taken to a hospital for observation and also because of concerning levels of intoxication.
“I don’t think anyone else saw him go under,” Sgt. Adams said, adding that in his opinion the good Samaritan saved the victim’s life.
Adams said the intoxicated man was with a group of people when the incident happened.
“That’s the scary part, no one [in his group] saw him go in,” Adams said.
