NEED TO KNOW
On Saturday, June 6, deputies rescued a 68-year-old woman from drowning at New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Bodycam footage shows deputies performing CPR on the unresponsive woman, who was found face down until she regained consciousness
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office praised alert beachgoers for quickly reporting the incident
A 68-year-old woman was saved from drowning during a weekend swim at a Florida beach.
At 10:15 a.m. local time on Saturday, June 6, deputies responded to reports of “a swimmer in distress in the ocean” off the coast of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) said in a news release on Facebook.
A 68-year-old woman was found “unresponsive” and “without a pulse” at the scene. She was pulled from the water face down before deputies performed CPR on the victim.
“Deputy Gourley quickly located the victim in the water, floating face down and pulled her to shore,” said the VSO. “The woman was unresponsive and without a pulse. Deputy Gourley and Deputy Manhart immediately began CPR and were able to revive the 68-year-old woman.”
Police bodycam footage shows Deputy Gourley pulling the woman from the water, with the help of a beachgoer. Deputies then performed performing CPR on the victim.
One deputy asks bystanders, “Does anybody know her?” to which someone responds, “No, nobody, no.”
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Credit: Getty
Moments later, one of the deputies says, “She’s breathing.” One of the officers then tells the woman, “Keep breathing … big deep breaths if you can hear me, girl. Squeeze my hand if you can feel it.”
The woman then exhales loudly, regaining consciousness as sirens sound in the background of the clip.
Beach Safety arrived on scene and continued life-saving measures on the woman; she was subsequently transported to the hospital in stable condition, per the VSO.
The woman has not been identified at this time.
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“This serves as a powerful reminder that alert beachgoers, like those who spotted the woman and quickly alerted deputies, can make all the difference,” said the VSO. “Life-saving awards are forthcoming for the deputies involved for their heroic actions.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the VSO for further comment.
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