ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A man who was pulled from the Huron River after nearly drowning in July has made a full recovery.
According to authorities, he was swimming at Bandemer Park on July 27 when he went under and never resurfaced. Multiple 911 calls were made regarding the incident at the time.
The Ann Arbor Police Department credits Good Samaritans at the scene who were able to pull him out of the water, where nursing student Margarita Howes began CPR.
“A lot of the time, with calls like this, you hope there’s some element that’s not true. Maybe by the time you get there, the person is up and walking around. That wasn’t the case,” said Thomas Burnette, with the Ann Arbor Police Department. “The citizens did step up and got to work on him without thinking about their own safety on that dock. They pulled him out without thinking about it.”
First responders rushed the man to Michigan Medicine in critical condition.
After several weeks of treatment, Jamaine Atkins II made a full recovery.
He was reunited with the first responders and Howes during a ceremony that honored those involved in his survival, where he and his father expressed gratitude toward everyone involved.
The Ann Arbor Police Department is urging people to prepare for potential emergencies by learning CPR.
Click here to find training classes near you, along with more tools and packages.
Immediate CPR during a cardiac arrest incident can double or triple the chances of survival.
CPR training resource guide: Why it’s important, how it works, how to get trained