Injured girl rescued after fall into water
By Mark Schieldrop/Independence Staff Writer
NARRAGANSETT ? Beatriz Fernandes said she is eternally grateful for the efforts of police and rescue personnel for saving her 17-year-old daughter?s life on Saturday, especially Lt. Jared Randall and an unknown boy with long, curly hair.
Randall dove into the water without a second thought to reach the girl, Monica Fernandes, a Riverside resident, who was stranded after she was thrown by an unexpected wave and fell on the rocks at the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge near Camp Cronin, bleeding profusely from a severe wound to her leg.
The boy, whom Fernandes said will always be in her family?s prayers, applied a compress to the girl?s leg before police arrived, which likely saved her life. By the time the girl was secured on a stretcher and rushed to South County Hospital in Wakefield, she had lost a great deal of blood.
?There?s no way we can ever repay the people that rescued my girl,? Fernandes said in a telephone interview Tuesday. ?When I saw Mr. Randall jump into the water, it was like he was our angel. We will never forget what they did.?
The day was supposed to be a relaxing one. Warm weather and clear skies seemed like a perfect opportunity to head to Narragansett and enjoy the water.
?A peaceful day at the beach,? Fernandes said.
As she was preparing lunch, Fernandes said she thought her daughter was swimming. She told her son, Nico, and niece, Melanie, to go fetch Monica and get ready to eat.
A few moments later, Nico returned and breathlessly asked for a towel.
?I need a towel, she fell,? he said.
Fernandes said she rushed toward the rocks to see what happened. As she made her way over the slippery, craggy rock wall, she realized that the situation was not good.
And then she saw her daughter, out of reach, clutching her leg.
?Then I felt all the blood drain out of me when I got there and saw her holding her leg.?
Fernandes tried in vain to reach her daughter, but the rocks were too treacherous. The feeling of not being able to climb down and reach her girl was, by far, the worst feeling in the world, Fernandes said.
?I cannot explain how terrible it felt,? she said. ?There is nothing like being a mother who can?t reach your child. I don?t know how to swim. I couldn?t see how to get to her, it was slippery everywhere.?
A U.S. Coast Guard boat was on hand but could not reach the girl. She remained calm and, within moments, police arrived in a patrol boat that had been stationed nearby for the Blessing of the Fleet, which was occurring simultaneously.
On board was Randall as well as Lt. Gerald Driscoll, who was piloting.
?I took my weapon off, stuffed it in my pockets, and dove in,? Randall said. ?When we got there they were waist deep, waving frantically.?
He reached the girl and saw that her wound was deep. Somehow, a young boy managed to get down to her and apply the compress, using a ripped beach towel. Without it, Randall said, she would have lost even more blood and could have been in shock by then. Her cousin, Melanie, was hugging and comforting her as best she could.
The rescue was incredibly difficult, Randall said. First, they tried to get to her with the boat, which is equipped with a diving platform at water level, but a fishing net and the craggy rocks made it impossible.
They had to think fast.
?We did it on the fly,? Randall said.
Rescue personnel snatched a nearby body board and Monica held on as they maneuvered her to the other side of the channel to an area of calmer water. Meanwhile, Randall remained in the water and sustained a number of bumps and bruises to his legs.
?I don?t know about the other guys in the water, but I got banged up pretty good,? Randall said.
Finally, rescue personnel managed to push Monica onto a flat rock on the other side of the jetty, where they lowered a stretcher and had to ?literally lie on our backs and pass her up, hand over hand,? Randall said.
?She could have easily panicked,? he said. ?You could tell by her body language she was in lots of pain and she was hurting - and rightfully so.?
As the situation unfolded, four rescue calls came in and dispatchers were kept busy coordinating the fire, police and rescue operation at the break wall as well as dispatching rescue vehicles to other calls. Because the town was dealing with the rescue as well as the Blessing of the Fleet, several runs had to be handled by other towns.
Fernandes was rushed to South County Hospital with a deep gash to her calf, which went all the way to the bone. Fortunately, her mother said, she will recover and there shouldn?t be permanent damage.
?Just a big scar,? she said.
Fernandes said police, fire and rescue personnel acted heroically and will always be remembered by the family. She also said Randall called to check up on her daughter and wish her well.
?He is so caring,? Fernandes said.
But she has one regret, and that?s being unable to thank the boy who tore up a beach towel and applied a compress to her daughter?s leg.
?After the rescue I turned to thank him and he was gone,? Fernandes said.
Monica Fernandes will be a senior at East Providence High School this fall. Yesterday, she returned to the hospital for her wound to be reexamined. Otherwise, her mother said, she?s resting at home and doing well.
?You watch this kind of thing on TV and think it?s never going to happen to you. It was like seeing a movie,? Fernandes said. ?The amazing thing is that there are actually people who will do anything to help you. Jumping in the water . . . There are actually people out there that care.?
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