Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Oak Bay police officer saves worker from drowning in pump tank

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A constable in Oak Bay saved a local man from a gruesome fate with an act of bravery. 

A worker on a property in the 2800-block of Lansdowne Road was servicing a sump pump well — a small well in the ground with a pump that is used to remove water from a property — when he dropped his glasses. 

Attempting to reach down to grab the glasses, the man found himself stuck upside down in the tank, with his head dangerously close to the slowly rising water at the bottom. 

He managed to alert a family member using his phone. The relative then called 911, and Oak Bay Police and Fire responded. 

Cst. Shari Lucas arrived first, and wasted no time. Lucas leapt into action and helped the man position his head to enable breathing. 

Next, the Oak Bay Fire Department showed up, and pulled Cst. Lucas from the hole. They then helped move the man around enough to get him out of the tank.

“Man was trapped in pump tank that was filling up on Lansdowne. #OakBay PD’s Cst. Sheri Lucas arrived, jumped in hole & held his head up to enable breathing,” Oak Bay Police tweeted. 

“Oak Bay Fire Dept and Saanich Police arrived, pulled her out & then yanked victim out. He’s now fine. Everyone is ok.”

See also: Oak Bay Police roasts terrible drivers on their Twitter account.

A representative from the Oak Bay Fire Department said that once trapped, the man was worried that nobody would hear him shouting in distress. 

Fortunately, the worker was shaken up by the incident but not injured. There was no clear indication of when the water would have reached a dangerous level, according to Oak Bay Fire, but there’s no questioning that Lucas’ speedy decision-making stopped anything more tragic from happening.

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