Off-Duty Firefighter Rescues Swimmer
An off-duty Oxnard Fire Department captain who was surfing at Silver Strand Beach on Saturday pulled an unconscious swimmer onto his surfboard and saved his life by performing CPR, authorities said.
The swimmer, Louie Serrano of Oxnard, was in serious but stable condition Saturday night at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, a nursing supervisor said.
According to Jennifer Shelton, an officer with the Channel Islands Harbor Patrol, Serrano went for a swim about 3:30 p.m.
Fire Capt. Steve Elkington spotted Serrano floating on the water, paddled to him and pulled him onto his board, authorities said.
“He was pulse-less and without breath and [Elkington] got him breathing again,” Shelton said.
After reviving him, Elkington took Serrano to shore on his board. Serrano was then taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Serrano, who is in his 30s, was conscious Saturday night and being treated for fluid in his lungs, the nursing supervisor said.
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