Man Rescued After Falling Down Muddy Marsh In Rockland County
PIERMONT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- For the second time in a week, rescuers were sent Thursday to pull people out of a muddy marsh – right near Bill Murray's Rockland County home.
As CBS2's Alice Gainer reported, firefighters received a call around 2:45 p.m. that four hikers were out – and one of them fell about 25 feet down into the marsh. The other three went back to their boat to try to help.
Piermont and Nyack firefighters were called in, and said four divers were employed. They swam in about 50 feet and crawled through the marsh to get to the man and secure him.
They then swam him up to a boat, officials said.
"It was high tide. Thank God we were able to get the boats right up to the water's edge," said Daniel Goswick, public information officer for the Piermont Fire Department. "But we actually had to swim in. It was probably about 6 feet where we were able to swim in to get to where the marsh was, and then we were able to crawl through the marsh, put him in the Stokes (basket), and then we carried him out to the water's edge, and then we swam him to the Westchester Count PD boat. Two of our divers – one being an EMT – assessed his situation, and then we transported him to 701, where our ambulance transported him to Nyack ER."
CBS2 is told the man had a dislocated knee but was otherwise OK.
The Thursday incident came just days after another rescue in the marsh. The NYPD had to get involved when a boat became stuck in the mud.
Gainer asked Gowsick if it was unusual to have so many rescues so close together in time. Goswick said, "It happens."
While Murray lives nearby, he was not involved in any way at all.
