MARTIN COUNTY − Several people came together to help rescue a man secured to a motorized wheelchair after he fell into Manatee Pocket while getting on a boat, according to Martin County Sheriff’s officials.
The March 8 incident occurred as the man’s father helped him from a dock via a ramp onto his boat at Mariner Cay Marina, Deputy Mark Appler said. The marina is off Southeast St. Lucie Boulevard east of Southeast Dixie Highway.
“As he was wheeling him onto the ramps, another boat came by and the weight caused the boat to rock, which caused the ramps to collapse,” Appler said.
Appler and Deputy Sam Oliver, who jumped into the water as part of the efforts, spoke on March 9 about the incident while standing at nearby Sandsprit Park.
Ultimately, the man, who is in his 30s and does not communicate verbally, sustained some minor cuts and bruises, deputies said.
Appler explained about 10 a.m. March 8 he went to the call of a person who fell off the dock in his wheelchair and remained strapped to it.
Appler, who just began his work shift, drove his boat to the scene.
“Prior to my arrival, two guys … bystanders had already showed up and fastened some ropes and were holding him above water,” Appler said.
The man weighed about 130 pounds, and the wheelchair about 230 pounds. Other people also came to assist. They thought perhaps they could raise him back on the boat.
“We lifted him up and then we started realizing that the top harness that he had was still holding him in and then started to kind of choke him a little bit,” Appler said. “So we lowered him back to the water level to reassess our next approach.”
Meanwhile, Oliver arrived and got in the water. They decided to remove the man from the chair. A life vest was used to help the man float.
Oliver said he thought the buoyancy from the foam in the motorized wheelchair and others who managed to grab hold of the chair kept it from sinking.
Oliver estimated the water’s depth was 8 to 10 feet.
“I know I couldn’t touch the bottom,” he said.
Oliver said he swam the man to the shore before he was secured to a backboard and lifted over a seawall.
Appler said the father kind of joked with the son.
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“The son kind of smiled and the father said, what are you smiling for?” Appler said. “It kind of … lightened the situation and made everybody relax and more calm.”
Appler suggested people be prepared because you never know when a tragedy might happen.
“We don’t plan for them and being the fact that there was bystanders there and civilians and other workers and the dock master over there at Mariner Cay all jumped in really helped the situation, but just always be prepared because you never know what’s going to happen,” he said.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Deputies in Florida help rescue man in wheelchair who fell into river