DOT, tree crew rescue jet skier from frigid lake water

ALTON BAY — Quick action by a crew of state Department of Transportation and contracted tree service workers saved a person from the frigid waters of Lake Winnipesaukee on the morning of Nov. 30.

The rescued man, according to Alton Fire Chief Deborah Pendergast, had been moving his jet ski to take it out of the water for the winter. Because he planned to travel a short distance at a slow speed, she said, he did not wear a life jacket. For an unknown reason, the jet ski began sinking, forcing its operator into the lake’s near-freezing water.

Shawn Cullen, a DOT employee, and the combined crew had been working to remove a dock in the bay near Sandy Point. They remembered a jet ski “putting along” slowly by their site, and had even taken a photo because of the unseasonable timing. A few minutes later, Cullen said he heard “blood-curdling screams” coming from the water farther down the bay.

“I could just hear him over the traffic” on Route 11, Cullen said. Running toward the sound, he saw the jet ski driver in the water, struggling to keep his head up and holding on to the craft. 

After calling 911, Cullen began calling to the man and urging him to swim to shore. Other members of the crew, meanwhile, began searching nearby for a vessel to get in the water and help.

Watching from shore and continuing his encouragements, Cullen watched as the man, who he estimated was 100 yards away, struggled against the icy water and the weight of his winter clothes.

“He went under a couple of times,” Cullen said, “but he kept fighting.” Cullen had to resist the urge to jump in after him, something he said the 911 dispatcher on the line staunchly advised against.

“With the air temperature,” Pendergast said, water that cold “very rapidly zaps energy and shuts down muscles,” and even strong swimmers in that situation would quickly begin to struggle. 

A canoe and a kayak were found, Cullen said, and a DOT crew member and an employee of Top Notch Tree Service went out on the water. They reached the man, who was able to grab hold of the kayak and be pulled to a dock, where first responders were waiting.

As the man was pulled from the water and onto the dock, Pendergast said, “the cold had really gotten to him.” They began the process for treating hypothermia, beginning by removing wet clothing. 

During the process of transporting the man up the steep embankment to the ambulance, Pendergast said he was “in and out of consciousness,” before being transported to a local hospital.

Pendergast was unable to elaborate further about his condition and declined to describe him, other than to confirm that he was a male and not an Alton resident.

Cullen said the “helplessness” he felt during the time the man was in the water was overcome by a “heartwarming” feeling to see him pulled to safety. 

In December, Cullen said, the lake itself and many of the waterfront homes along it are empty. He wondered grimly about what would have resulted if the crew had not happened to be working that day, and said he was glad to be there.

He complimented the cool-headedness and quick efforts of everyone on the team that day, including about seven DOT and six tree service employees. 

While life jackets are required when riding a jet ski, Pendergast emphasized that, because of the water temperature this time of year, having one on when near or on the water is paramount.