NEWBURYPORT — Two women remain in critical condition as of Monday morning after they were rescued from the waters off Plum Island Point the night before.
City Marshal Matthew Simons and Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury III said local firefighters and police responded to a report of swimmers in distress around 7 p.m.
Also responding to the scene were an Atlantic Ambulance crew, the U.S. Coast Guard and Newburyport Harbormaster Paul Hogg.
Hogg said his job was to get all first responders notified.
“We got in touch with the Coast Guard. I got the initial call from the police, it was a 911 call from a bystander on the beach. Then we got the information out. Everybody responded, the Coast Guard, myself, police, fire, and the ambulance,” Hogg said.
He said the swimmers were aided by two fishing boats with each skipper hauling in one of the unresponsive swimmers as emergency units were arriving.
“The Coast Guard actually got onto one of the fishing boats instead of trying to transport the patient on the Coast Guard boat. The Coast Guard personnel got onto the Good Samaritans’ boat and started doing CPR,” Hogg said.
He said the boats were met by EMTs at the dock where CPR continued before the victims were ultimately transported.
One swimmer, a 25-year-old female from Lynn, was originally transported to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburport, then transported via medical helicopter to a Boston hospital. The other swimmer, a 24-year-old female from East Boston, was initially brought to Anna Jaques Hospital and was later transferred to a Burlington hospital.
Both women remain in critical condition as of Monday morning.
Simons praised the work of the first response teams.
“The quick response and continuity of care when first responders took over was nothing short of amazing. This operation was a powerful example of interagency collaboration at its best, where training, communication, and teamwork made all the difference,” Simons said.
Hogg similarly said the response by local and area first responders was textbook.
“All departments worked together. As bad a situation as it was, it worked out really well. Everybody acted quickly and communicated well,” Hogg said, adding it took about 10 minutes before the scene began clearing.
He also gave a big thanks to the fishermen, noting that their actions were difficult and took bravery.
“Just getting them in the boat is tough. Your adrenaline’s going. Good thing for these people that there were Good Samaritans who were able to give them a chance,” Hogg said.
Simons that their focus “now turns to hope and strength for the victims and their families, and healing for all involved in this traumatic event.”
Almost nine years ago, a Newburyport lifeguard saved a 14-year-old girl from drowning off Plum Island Point. On that day, four out-of-town bathers were wading on a Merrimack River sandbar when the swift current dislodged them from their sandy perch and into the river. One of the four, the 14-year-old, became separated from the others and drifted away.
That was when lifeguard Matt Hayden, one of two lifeguards on duty near the sandbar, leapt into the water and rescued her. The second lifeguard, Drew Brewer, kept the other three bathers together and brought them to safety.
Hayden said he was about 400 feet off shore in water about 12 feet deep when he grabbed the teen who was exhausted and very close to drowning.
There were no lifeguards on duty when Sunday’s emergency took place.
Hogg spoke about why the area can prove to be so dangerous.
“The one thing you just have to be careful of is if you don’t realize the river has an incoming and an outgoing tide. That sandbar goes away on the incoming tide. So sometimes people will walk out on it, and when the tide comes in, they get knocked off,” Hogg said.
He said that folks should never be swimming by the sandbar.
“In the city ordinances and on our signs, there’s no swimming, and you’re not supposed to go in the river. It’s not allowed on the riverside,” Hogg said.
Daily News editor Dave Rogers contributed to this story.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.