Crime & Safety
Santee Firefighters Assist in Potrero Well Rescue
Crews from around the county helped remove the man from the 35-foot well.
Firefighters from around the county, including a crew from Santee, freed a 42-year-old man who fell into a 35-foot well Sunday in the unincorporated community of Potrero, according to Cal Fire.
A member of the man's immediate family called 911 about 4:15 p.m. and said the man was unconscious after falling into the well off Potrero Circle near Potrero Valley Road, Cal Fire Capt. Mike Mohler said. The victim was identified by his wife as 43-year-old Gerry Fowler.
It was unknown how the man fell into the well.
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Fire crews were on scene working on a "confined space rescue," Mohler said. Rescuers told 10News that "every second mattered," as water was rising and oxygen running thin at the bottom of the 35 foot well.
The man was rescued hours after crews arrived on scene, and was on the brink of conciousness when he was removed from the well by a tripod lifting device.
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An air ambulance was dispatched to the scene and he was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital. Fowler was listed in critical condition late Sunday night.
-City News Service
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