STANLY COUNTY, N.C. — A man found underwater was pulled out of Badin Lake in Stanly County by a deputy sheriff Sunday night. He wasn't breathing, but after CPR, emergency workers felt a pulse.
"The good Lord put me here I reckon to do this," Deputy Sheriff L. Butler said.
"The guy had been swimming out there to the buoy, and he got tired," Gloria Heath said.
Two other swimmers pushed the man on to a buoy, but he wasn't breathing. Butler raced to help him.
"I was able to get to him and pull him to the bank … and we started CPR," Butler said.
Butler was joined by his son, an officer with Badin police, who helped with CPR.
Soon, firefighters got to the scene.
"Everyone's working on him and doing their job," Butler said. "And it's like a puzzle, it came together."
The young man's pulse returned, but he still wasn't conscious or breathing. They rushed him from this lake to the hospital and airlifted him to CMC. Now they're waiting to find out if he will be OK.
"I hope it works out good for this gentleman," Butler said.
Butler isn't a lifeguard, but he's rescued others before from the lake. He told Channel 9 that he wants people to learn about safety and not go into the deep water if they can't swim and to wear a life jacket even if they can.
"If you don't have a life jacket, go get one," Butler said. " A life jacket is only $20. Everyone's life is worth more than $20."
He said it would have helped Sunday.
"A life jacket would have saved him from going under the water like he did," ?? said.
Butler said there was a language barrier between him and the people who were with the young man, so the name of the man who was pulled out of this lake is not known, neither is his condition.
WSOC
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