A kayaker struggling to stay afloat against the winds on a Massachusetts pond was hospitalized after he was rescued on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident happened about 1,000 feet from shore on Long Pond, the Lakeville and Freetown Fire Departments said. A notification came in at 4:10 p.m. to both departments that there was a “person in the water” near the Heaven Heights area of Freetown.
Two men were kayaking on the pond when one of their kayaks became “swamped” with water, the department said. With winds gusting over 30 mph, the second kayaker was unable to help and went back to shore to call for assistance.
The rescue mission for a kayaker in Long Pond on April 8, in Freetown, Mass.(Freetown and Lakeville Fire Departments)
Firefighters went out in a rescue boat to save the man, who the department said was not wearing a life jacket and was “struggling to stay afloat” when he was pulled into the boat.
But because of the high winds, the firefighters could not get back to their original boat launch site. They were able to pull off the lake in a “more sheltered” area, where paramedics began to help the man.
The kayaker was brought to St. Luke’s Hospital for further treatment, the department said. One firefighter was also treated at the scene for injuries after the rescue, but was able to continue to work.
