TREMONT, Maine — A local man is safe and sound after he fell into a well Tuesday and was rescued from the chilly subterranean water by firefighters and a police officer, according to the local fire chief.
The man, who is 71 years old and suffers from Parkinson’s disease, lifted a cover off the well and was using a 2-by-4 board to gauge how deep the water was when he fell in around noon, Tremont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Keith Higgins said Wednesday. The man, whose name Higgins did not disclose, also was looking to see if snakes were living in the well.
The man tumbled into the concrete-walled well after he dropped the board, which is about 8 feet deep, then leaned in while attempting to grab it, Higgins said. The water in the well, which is about 5 five feet in diameter, was about 5½ feet deep, resulting in the man being in the water up to his neck, according to the chief. He estimated the water temperature likely was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
The man yelled for about half an hour before his wife heard him and called the fire department for help, Higgins said.
“It was really bizarre,” the chief said. “It was scary.”
Higgins indicated on the department’s Facebook page that the man was having difficulty keeping his head above water.
“Neighbors were quick to assist emergency responders, as they lowered him a life jacket and directed the emergency crew to the man’s location,” Higgins wrote. “Initial rescuers and [Hancock County] Deputy Sheriff [Jeff McFarland] were on scene very quickly.”
Higgins said his brother, fire department Capt. Heath Higgins, jumped into the well to help the man stay afloat. The fire department initially requested mutual aid from fire departments in neighboring towns but, given the urgency, decided not to wait for the additional manpower and equipment to arrive. Heath Higgins pushed up from below while Deputy McFarland and good Samaritan Steve Ward grabbed the man’s arms and pulled him out.
“It all came together really quickly,” the fire chief said.
The man was taken to Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor, where he was treated for minor injuries and then released, Higgins added.
After the rescue, the property owner and Heath Higgins confirmed they had seen serpents in the well, the chief said.
“At this time we have not received any 911 calls from the family of snakes, so we can assume they are not in need of rescuing,” Higgins wrote in the department’s Facebook post.
