Haverhill firefighters Saturday night rescued a 57-year-old man who either jumped or fell from the Basiliere Bridge into the Merrimack River.
The unidentified man was pulled from the water by firefighters manning a boat dispatched from the Water Street Fire Station. He was breathing when brought back to the Water Street dock, transferred to an ambulance and taken to a local hospital for evaluation, Fire Chief William F. Laliberty told WHAV Tuesday.
“We do have a coordinated procedure. We work with harbormaster and police department. The goal here is to save someone. We all work together.”
Lt. Robert P. Pistone, Haverhill police spokesman, said the man’s injuries were not life threatening.
It was the second time in a week, firefighters responded to a report of people in the river. Last Wednesday, Haverhill Firefighters retrieved Trent Cook, 47, of Haverhill from the river. He was transported to Holy Family Hospital where he was pronounced dead. “Two other individuals, a male and a female, were pulled from the river and transported to the hospital as a precaution. The female, was a friend of the victim, jumped into the river in an effort to save the victim. The male, who was fishing nearby and heard shouting, also jumped and attempted to save the victim,” said Carrie Kimball-Monahan, spokeswoman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.
On Saturday, a resident of nearby 1 Water St. said she saw the man climb over the Basiliere Bridge railing and hang on until he fell in the Merrimack River around 7:30 p.m.
Laliberty said the rescue followed usual fire department procedures. Typically, the department’s 16-foot Boston Whaler is manned by three people—a driver and two rescuers. “The driver maintains the integrity of the boat allowing the rescuers to do their jobs,” the chief said.
Obviously something in the water…