OCEANSIDE, Calif. — In a dramatic rescue early this morning, firefighters, paramedics and police pulled a man to safety after he was stuck between boulders at Buccaneer Beach with the tide coming in.
At 2:45 a.m. Saturday, firefighters responded to a report of a trapped victim, according to Battalion Chief Jessamyn Specht of the Oceanside Fire Department.
They found a man in his 40s trapped between the large boulders at the south end of Buccaneer Beach, Specht said.
A bystander said he heard someone yelling for help for several minutes and eventually was able to locate the victim, who had slipped and fell into a gap in the boulders.
The bystander tried to help the victim and eventually 911 was called, Specht said.
"With the tide coming in, time was of the essence as crews worked to release the victim from the rocks," Specht said. "Waves started to crash over the rescuers and the victim became submerged in water."
The Oceanside Police Department supplied a Scuba tank and regulator to allow the victim to breathe amid the waves, the battalion chief said.
"The victim eventually lost consciousness and was unable to maintain the Scuba regulator in his mouth," Specht said. "Fortunately, the rescue crews were able to secure webbing around the victim and pull him out, approximately 45 minutes after E212s (the firefighting unit) arrival."
Once he was out of the rocks, firefighters and paramedics revived the victim and took him to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla for evaluation, Specht said.
"To put it plainly, the Oceanside Fire Department saved the man's life," Specht said. "Firefighters were completely soaked by the crashing waves and time was running out with the incoming tide."
Beachgoers were warned that walking or playing on the large rock walls along the beach is dangerous, Specht said.
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