Bridgewater Police and Fire Departments save the life of unresponsive 5-year-old girl who nearly drowned

BRIDGEWATER — Police Chief Christopher Delmonte and Fire Chief Michael MacDermott report that members of the Bridgewater Police and Fire Departments helped to save the life of a 5-year-old girl who nearly drowned in a pool last week.

On Saturday, July 10, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Bridgewater Police received two 911 calls from a residence on College Road for a report of a 5-year-old girl that was pulled from a pool and was unresponsive.

Upon arrival, the girl was having CPR administered to her by off-duty Brockton Firefighter Elisha Eleyi and Massachusetts State Police Trooper Taylor Irish, who were both visiting the home at the time.

Bridgewater Police Officer John Carr then took over performing CPR on the child who was still unresponsive, and he, along with the assistance of Bridgewater Police Officer Ryan O’Connell and Sgt. Lawrence Bresciani, continued CPR until paramedics from the Bridgewater Fire Department arrived.

Advanced life support was then administered by Bridgewater Firefighters James Reidy, Amy Glavin, Pat Rose, Sean Connolly and Ryan Malone.

The girl was then transported by ambulance to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, where a medical helicopter had been requested. The victim was then transported by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for further treatment.

Today, the chiefs were notified that the girl regained consciousness at the hospital, was released after a few days of tests and is expected to make a full recovery.

The initial investigation, conducted by Detective Peter Balboni and Officer Ryan Thayer, indicates that there were several people in the backyard near the pool at the time with other children swimming. The child attempted to retrieve a toy from the edge of the in-ground pool but slipped into the water without a flotation device and was not able to tread water. She was observed face-down in the water by an adult who jumped in and removed her from the pool. The investigation indicates that the girl was underwater for about two minutes before being pulled out.

Bridgewater Police have determined that the incident was accidental and no charges will be filed.

Both Chief Delmonte and Chief MacDermott would like to credit the efforts of their responding personnel who undoubtedly helped to save this girl’s life.

“The survival of this young child would not have been possible without the immediate efforts of off-duty Brockton Firefighter Eleyi and Massachusetts State Trooper Irish on-scene, the aggressive CPR performed by first responding Bridgewater Police Officer Carr with support of Officer O’Connell, and Sgt. Bresciani, as well as the advanced care administered by Bridgewater Fire Paramedics Reidy, Glavin, Rose, Connolly and Malone,” Chief Delmonte said. “All of these police and fire personnel are to be commended for their swift action and determination not to let the events of the day end in tragedy.”

Chief MacDermott said, “We were so relieved when we were told that the girl survived and is expected to make a full recovery. Any incident where a child is hurt is one of the worst types of incidents a first responder can be called to. The fast actions of the fire and police personnel is a testament to the preparedness and professionalism we have at both departments.”