A 78-year-old man nearly drowned after crashing his boat launch at Bayfront Park around 9.30pm on Thursday. Shawn MacNeil and Wes Kassem were fishing in Bayfront Park when they noticed the man’s white car half submerged in the water. Hamilton police say McNeil, who jumped in to save the man, is “a brave citizen” who “made every effort to save the driver” and that the driver “was taken to hospital in non-life threatening condition his life”. “We never really fish that spot,” Kassem told CBC Hamilton. “Honestly, this was a fishing trip I’ll never forget,” MacNeil said. Kasem said he did not see the car go down when the boat launched, but heard from others at the scene that the driver hit a curb and lost control of the car. Kassem recorded what followed on his cell phone. The video is age restricted as viewers may find the content disturbing and may only watch it on YouTube at this link.
The rescue
In the video captured by Kassem, it took just over a minute for the interior of the car to fully submerge. The driver was able to open his door, but it is unclear why he was unable to leave the vehicle. In less than two minutes, Kassem and MacNeil realized that one of them would have to pull the man out. “As soon as we saw the air bubbles, we were like, ‘Yeah, this guy’s going to die right in front of us,’” Kassem told CBC Hamilton. In the video, a panicked McNeil said: “Somebody has to get in. Oh my God, he’s going to die,” before stripping down to his long pants and jumping into the water. MacNeil said when he realized he had to save the man, his first thought was to make sure he had dry clothes to put on afterward and try to jump to the car. “I thought I could make it, but I didn’t,” he said. MacNeil said he pulled the man from the car and realized he wasn’t breathing. “I have seen [CPR] in the movies sometimes, but I never really had any formal first aid training, I just kind of knew chest compressions, mouth blowing and hope for the best,” he said. In the video, MacNeil can be heard screaming, “I need an ambulance, man. I don’t know what I’m doing here.” Despite having no formal CPR training, MacNeil said he was able to clear the man’s airway and restart his breathing, saving his life. She said “a lot of emotions went through my mind at the time, but mostly just relief” when she realized the man was breathing. “That’s when I started freaking out,” he said. “I saw the cops coming and I said, ‘Get over here as fast as you can and make sure he’s still breathing.’ McNeil and a Hamilton police officer held the man above the water while they waited for a fishing boat driven by a Hamilton police sergeant to pull him out of the water.
If you see someone in trouble, “help them”
MacNeil said the fact that he saved a man’s life is “surreal”. “I’m glad I was able to help him,” she said, adding that she hopes the man continues to live a good life. Kassem said he’s “really proud” of his friend and that, “He did it by accident. I know he’ll always have my back no matter what.” Kassem and MacNeil have been friends for many years, are from Haldimand County and work together at Kassem’s appliance repair business. MacNeil said for him, what’s important is that “if somebody sees somebody in trouble, they help them.”
