Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jun 8

Florida Deputies Revive 68-Year-Old Swimmer After Ocean Rescue at New Smyrna Beach

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jun 8

Florida Deputies Revive 68-Year-Old Swimmer After Ocean Rescue at New Smyrna Beach

Q: She survived an event with a 90% fatality rate. What is the one lesson from her rescue everyone needs to know?

The lesson is simple: immediate CPR and fast action save lives. This woman survived because the rescue chain started within minutes. Beachgoers noticed trouble and alerted deputies. Deputy Gourley pulled her from the water, and Deputies Gourley and Manhart began CPR right away, restoring a pulse before Beach Safety crews took over. In drowning cases, that speed is decisive. Brain injury can begin within 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen, and severe damage or death becomes far more likely after about 10 minutes. That matters because out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is usually fatal. Nationally, nearly 90% of such cases do not survive. But early CPR can double or even triple survival chances by keeping blood flowing until advanced care arrives. For drowning victims, rescue breaths with compressions are especially important because the emergency begins with oxygen deprivation. The broader takeaway is that survival rarely depends on one person alone. It depends on a chain of response working without delay: alert bystanders, trained first responders, continued medical care, and public awareness of hazards. In this case, all of those links held. At New Smyrna Beach, officials had already warned of dangerous surf and rip currents under red-flag conditions. So the practical lesson is twofold: respect water warnings, and if someone is pulled from the water unresponsive, call 911 and start CPR immediately if you are trained. Minutes are the difference between rescue and recovery.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 8

Volusia County deputies pulled a 68-year-old woman from the ocean at New Smyrna Beach after finding her floating face down and unresponsive around 10:15 a.m. Saturday.
Deputy Gourley brought her to shore, and he and Deputy Manhart began CPR when she had no pulse, reviving her before Beach Safety crews took over.
The woman was transported to a hospital in stable condition, according to the sheriff’s office, which released body-camera footage of the rescue.
Beachgoers who spotted the swimmer and flagged down deputies helped trigger the response, and the sheriff’s office said life-saving awards are planned for the deputies involved.