NORFOLK, Va. — Several City of Norfolk lifeguards were awarded Friday for their life-saving work responding to an emergency at the Sarah Constant Beach in Ocean View in 2018.
On September 1, 2018, a 31-year-old swimmer tried to flip from an elevated drainage pipe into shallow water and suffered from spinal injuries.
Lifeguard Lieutenants Courtney Hutchens and Madeline Solano and Lifeguards Beatty Barnes and Robert Warren immediately stabilized the injured swimmer.
The immediate treatment from the lifeguards enabled Norfolk Fire-Rescue to spend less time on the scene and get the injured swimmer to the emergency room faster.
“The ability of these lifeguards to provide immediate attention and treatment as a possible spinal cord injury to this swimmer with such precision and teamwork was exemplary and prevented further damage,” said Darrell Crittendon, Director of Recreation, Parks and Open Space (RPOS).
The City of Norfolk said all emergency action plans, communication standards and protocols were met during this incident.
The lifeguards were awarded 2018 Dr. Frank Pia Lifesaving Awards at the Virginia Lifeguard Association Annual Aquatic Management Symposium. They also presented Norfolk Fire-Rescue Awards for the same incident last fall.
Congratulations!
