Maine fisherman reels in drowning man
:clapping:Amy Beeman - AHN
Hollowelle, ME (AHN) -- A man who jumped of a bridge into a frigid Maine river was rescued by a fisherman who hooked his shirt and reeled him in.
Bob Greene, 42, told the Portland Press Herald that he was having his morning coffee and reading the paper at 4:30 a.m. Thursday when he heard a noise he thought must've been a bird. About twenty minutes later, he saw what he thought was a log floating down the Kennebec River. Soon, he realized it was actually a man and could barely hear a call of "help."
Michael Gibbs, 25, told police he had jumped from the Cushnoc Crossing bridge in Augusta, known locally as the third bridge. While the 114-foot drop did not kill him, Gibbs did sustain injuries.
By the time the men's paths crossed, Gibbs was faintly calling for help. Greene told reporters his first instinct was to jump in the water, but a 911 operator told him to try to throw something to Gibbs instead and pull him to shore. Since Greene was getting ready to go fishing, he used his fishing pole.
Greene was able to hook Gibbs by the shirt, and though he said it was difficult to pull him in against the river's current, he was an experienced fisherman and maker of fishing rods, so he knew how to be ginger with the line so it wouldn't snap.
Gibbs had a cut on his head, but the extent of his injuries has not been reported. He is hospitalized in critical condition. His car was found on the bridge from where he jumped.
