Drowning man was lucky to have several experts at one place

A man who was rescued from the frigid waters of Twin Falls in Lynn Canyon is very lucky to be alive.

“He is very fortunate that there were bystanders who first assessed him and then felt confident to jump in to make the rescue. If they had not made a decision to act, the outcome would have been very different,” said North Vancouver assistance fire chief Jeremy Duncan.

Duncan said the call to first responders came around 4 pm about a 24-year-old man who was pulled out from the Twin Falls by two bystanders. The man didn’t have any pulse and was unresponsive, but regained consciousness after the bystanders performed CPR on him.

The bystanders who happened to be there at the right time were Brian Laverentz, a medical student from San Antonio, Texas, and his wife, according to a Canadian Press report. Both were on honeymoon and were visiting Twin Falls when they saw the man drowning in the water.

Among those close by who offered their help were a lifeguard from Chicago, who was visiting with his family, including a daughter who also happened to be a competitive swimmer. She also helped with the rescue and CPR, the Canadian Press reported.

“I just thought it was also serendipitous that we had a lifeguard father, a competitive swimmer daughter, who also knew CPR, me (with) about 10 years of emergency medicine experience, my wife who has lived around people in the medical field forever and helped direct a bunch of people,” Laverentz told CP.

North Vancouver assistance fire chief Jeremy Duncan says Laverentz doesn’t want to talk to the media, but is trying to get in touch with the 24-year-old man.

Not everyone is as lucky as that man, however.

In the last 24 years, there have 30 fatalities at Twin Falls and lot more injuries. “The social media has made the area very popular and it is an easy access to adventure, but the area is rugged and there is debris in river bed and people are not prepared for the unpredictable part of nature,” Duncan said.