A man was flown to Anchorage in critical condition after a fall off the downtown dock early Friday morning, police and hospital spokespeople said.
At about 2:10 a.m. Friday, according to a release from the Juneau Police Department, a man called 911 to report that another man had fallen into Gastineau Channel near the downtown docks by the Marine Parking Garage. Police arrived on the scene to find that a 49-year-old man had fallen backward off the dock, the release states, hitting his head on a large pipe and losing consciousness as he fell into the water.
Two men and a woman jumped into the water to help the man, police say. When JPD officers arrived, they threw life rings out to the people in the water. One of the civilians who had jumped into the water was holding the 49-year-old’s head out of the water and giving him mouth-to-mouth, according to the release. Meanwhile, officers tried to maintain order on the dock, where several people were gathered. One person, according to the release, had to be restrained from jumping into the water.
Capital City Fire/Rescue Assistant Chief Ed Quinto said the scene was chaotic when his responders arrived. Between the people in the water and the people on the dock, he said, responders had to devote more time than they wanted to crowd control instead of getting the victim quickly out of the water.
“It was kind of hectic,” Quinto said. “We had multiple citizens interfering with us.”
Alcohol was a factor in the incident, according to the release.
Two CCFR rescue personnel went into the water, according to the release. The 49-year-old man regained consciousness and was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital, according to the release. Quinto said they pulled him from the water by putting a life preserver under him and pulling him up with ropes.
Bartlett spokesperson Katie Bausler said a tube was inserted to assist with the man’s breathing and he was flown to the Intensive Care Unit at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. The man was in critical condition when he was flown out at 8:10 a.m. Friday, Bausler said.
As for the other people in the water, one was already out when responders arrived, police say. Quinto said the others in the water were taken safely out as well. Two of the civilian rescuers were taken to BRH, according to the release, and Bausler said they were released shortly afterward.
Quinto said the civilians’ intent was good, but he advised people in that situation to leave the rescuing to those with the proper training.
“Call the people who know how to do the rescue,” Quinto said. “It’s like someone trying to go into a burning building.”
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
