Sunday, September 21, 2008

K. E. Y. MY WITNESS NEWS


This story just in from our Jupiter beach Location. ...
Joint effort as family rescues man from possible drowning.

Our story begins Saturday afternoon as the Keyser family decide to try out their new surf board at the local beach. The waves were high and breaking in several places as they approached the beach with the last break crashing directly on the beach. Paddling out was difficult as each wave could send the swimmer back 10 feet. Once out beyond the break the only way back in was on a wave as the rip currents were running strong that day, as swimmer Kent Keyser will testify he struggled on his boogie board in such a current. Kent Keyser was actually the first to see the unknown swimmer struggling in the rip tide and he wondered out loud to his daughter Jordyn "does that man need help"? Grabbing both his boogie boards he started to run down the beach in the direction of the swimmer when he met up with his wife Judi, son Brandon and daughter in-law Ali, after a brief discussion it was decided that the man was indeed in trouble and that Brandon should be the one to swim out. Brandon quickly attached both boards to his arm and began swimming as he neared the swimmer he heard the man exclaim "you gotta help me man" Brandon helped the 38 year old man (with a heart condition) onto the boogie board and stayed with him until they were roughly thrown on shore by the waves at which point the boogie board the man was on snapped in two. Ali thought the man might be thirsty and Jordyn fetched water from the family supply, (Man was not thirsty). During this excitement of the rescue Judi was able to comfort the man's mother where she learned that the swimmer was 38 years old and had a heart condition. Also we might mention that there were two other would be rescuer who reached the man on their surf boards just after Brandon, and seeing that Brandon, a skilled Eagle Scout, had things in control moved quickly out of the way.
A side note - after the rescue the mother/son reimbursed the Keyser family for the broken boogie board. Brandon was able to take the family's new/used surf board out where he was able to catch a wave and ride the board.
Rescue Swimming


Rescue landing

Trying to paddle out

Catching a wave

1 comment:

Chad Keyser said...

That is a cool story, good thing that you guys were paying attention.