A good Samaritan pulled a man from storm-swollen Monument Creek late Tuesday night, likely saving his life, Colorado Springs police say.
A passer-by saw a man who was drowning in the raging creek at about 10:12 p.m. and rescued him, said Lt. Catherine Buckley, Colorado Springs police spokeswoman.
“There were waves of rain and hail. The creek was running very high, fast and cold. A citizen pulled him from the creek and called 911,” Buckley said Wednesday morning.
The passer-by used a flashlight with a strobe to lead firefighters to a wooden bridge near the intersection of West Bijou and Sierra Madre streets, which is where he pulled the man out of the creek.
The concern about the man’s welfare was not only the potential for drowning but hypothermia, Buckley said.
When paramedics arrived, the man wasn’t able to speak but his eyes were moving, Buckley said, and he was rushed to a hospital.
The man, whose identity has not been released, was in serious condition, according to Buckley. She said the area where the man was saved is frequented by homeless people.
She didn’t know the name of the good Samaritan.
“Kudos to him,” she said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell or .
