Current:Home > ContactCharles H. Sloan-The Good Samaritan is also a lobsterman: Maine man saves person from sinking car -WealthMindset Learning
Charles H. Sloan-The Good Samaritan is also a lobsterman: Maine man saves person from sinking car
Benjamin Ashford View
Date:2025-04-08 09:45:27
A Maine lobsterman who saw a car sinking in a bay on Charles H. SloanThursday afternoon sprang into action, grabbing his diving gear and helping first responders pull out the unconscious driver.
Manny Kourinos, a lobsterman who also has a mooring service company in Portland, Maine, said he was filled with adrenaline and knew he had the right gear to help. Kourinos told USA TODAY he's been diving for over 20 years and didn't hesitate to get in the water.
"It was a complete adrenaline rush. Other people were in the water trying to do the best they could, but they didn't have scuba gear," he said. "It was just automatic, didn't even think about it when it was happening."
Kourinos said he jumped from the lobster boat, dove to the car, grabbed the person inside by the waist and pulled them out of the driver's side window.
The 33-year-old person rescued from the car, who was not identified by authorities, was unresponsive and had no pulse but was able to be revived and is in stable condition at Maine Medical Center, police in Portland said in a statement posted to social media.
"I'm a spiritual person. I believe I was placed to be at the right place at the right time and I hope the person, the victim, has a full recovery and I wish the best for them and their family and friends," Kourinos said.
Local news footage from News Center Maine showed images of the brightly colored car sinking into the water nose-first. By the time Kourinos got under the water, he estimated it had sunk 12 to 15 feet below the surface and was resting on the seabed, he said.
The Portland Police Department said they responded to a report of a car entering the water in the East End Beach area at the Casco Bay. It wasn't clear what caused the car to go into the water, police said, but it had been reported stolen out of South Portland earlier in the day.
Kourinos said he didn't see the vehicle go into the water, but saw something orange in the water and realized it was a car when he brought his boat closer, heard sirens and saw people swimming toward it.
After rescuing the person, Kourinos said he went back down to make sure there wasn't anybody else in the car and to get the car's license plate number.
'WHOLE WAY OF LIFE':Warming waters threaten Maine's lobster fishing
Having to recover a body underwater "has always been one of my biggest fears," Kourinos said, but he was hopeful first responders would be able to save the person.
After the daring rescue, "we went back to work... nobody's going to do my work," he said.
veryGood! (288)
Related
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- The Texas Legislature approves a ban on gender-affirming care for minors
- Fossil Fuel Subsidies Top $450 Billion Annually, Study Says
- Vanderpump Rules Reunion Part One: Every Bombshell From the Explosive Scandoval Showdown
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Carrie Actress Samantha Weinstein Dead at 28 After Cancer Battle
- In the Battle Over the Senate, Both Parties’ Candidates Are Playing to the Middle on Climate Change
- The Lighting Paradox: Cheaper, Efficient LEDs Save Energy, and People Use More
- 'Most Whopper
- Why Melissa McCarthy Is Paranoid to Watch Gilmore Girls With Her Kids at Home
Ranking
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Cops say they're being poisoned by fentanyl. Experts say the risk is 'extremely low'
- Hip-hop turns 50: Here's a part of its history that doesn't always make headlines
- More women sue Texas saying the state's anti-abortion laws harmed them
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson’s Baby Boy’s Name Finally Revealed 9 Months After Birth
- How a 93-year-old visited every national park and healed a family rift in the process
- The abortion pill mifepristone has another day in federal court
Recommendation
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Tiger King star Doc Antle convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia
South Carolina Has No Overall Plan to Fight Climate Change
Two Farmworkers Come Into Their Own, Escaping Low Pay, Rigid Hours and a High Risk of Covid-19
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
PGA Tour officials to testify before Senate subcommittee
Atmospheric Rivers Fuel Most Flood Damage in the U.S. West. Climate Change Will Make Them Worse.
As Covid-19 Surges, California Farmworkers Are Paying a High Price