John L. Crosby, Jr., helped to save a man from drowning, Mandeville, Louisiana, April 19, 2010. In a suicide attempt, a 30-year-old man jumped from the edge of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway at a point about 11 miles from the closer shore. Crosby, 58, real estate developer, was approaching in his vehicle and witnessed him jump. Crosby stopped at the scene and called causeway police. Concluding that the man would not survive without immediate aid, he then removed his shoes and jumped into the 15-foot-deep lake after him, despite having no ready means of egress. Crosby approached the man from behind, grasped him about the neck, and supported his head above water. Maintaining his hold of the man, Crosby trod water until police arrived shortly and threw flotation devices to them. One of the officers then descended a rope ladder into the lake and with Crosby’s aid secured the man into a rescue basket. He was lifted to the causeway deck, followed by Crosby and the officer; Crosby had been in the water about 20 minutes. Crosby was treated at the scene for hypothermia, as was the man, who was then taken to the hospital.
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