Emergency responders rescued a 10-year-old boy from the Androscoggin River on Saturday after a father reported that he had been swept downstream.
[RELATED: Police Revive Woman Found Floating in Androscoggin River With CPR and Narcan…]
At approximately 8:17 p.m., the father called 911, reporting that his son had entered the water near 807 Howes Corner Road and been swept away.
He informed dispatchers that the child had been able to reach a cluster of rocks in the center of the river.
Deputies from the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department responded and found the boy stranded on the rocks surrounded by rapids nearer the Turner side of the river.
They instructed the child to stay at the rocks, and additional responders began coordinating a water rescue response.
The Turner Fire and Rescue Department water rescue team responded, and the Greene Fire Department deployed its rescue boat. The Livermore Fire Department also arrived to provide assistance.
Rescue personnel entered the water with a rescue line and safely got through the current to the child and were able to bring him to shore.
The boy was evaluated on scene but found to be uninjured.
From the time of the 911 call to the child’s rescue, the operation took just 31 minutes.
The Androscoggin Sheriff’s Department gave special recognition to Lt. Cameron Lebel and FF Chris Bellefleur of the Turner Fire and Rescue Department for entering the water to rescue the child.
An exciting story with a happy ending .
Our sheriff’s depts and fire departments are the jewels of rural Maine .
Kudos to all !
I would like to know if this was a genuine accident or an irresponsible parent and poorly supervised child. I grew up around the ocean, there were limits to how close the water I could go.