The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man who is in critical condition after a “tragic swimming accident” at the Bristol Mills swimming hole.
Peter W. Beauchamp, 73, of Bristol, is in critical condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland after the accident near the Bristol Mills Dam the evening of Thursday, June 30.
Fellow swimmers spotted him face-down in the water, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
The man did not have a pulse and was not breathing at the time, according to LCSO Lt. Rand Maker.
Bystanders removed the man from the water and immediately started CPR, according to the press release. When first responders arrived, they continued CPR “in addition to advanced life-saving techniques.”
As a result of this combination, the man was breathing and had a pulse when an ambulance transported him to LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta. A LifeFlight helicopter then flew him to Maine Medical Center.
As of 11:30 a.m., Friday, July 1, he remains at Maine Medical in critical condition, according to the press release. The sheriff’s office did not have an update on his condition when it identified him the morning of Tuesday, July 1.
A preliminary investigation indicates the event was “simply a tragic swimming accident,” Maker said in the press release. The response by both bystanders and first responders “contributed to the return of a pulse and the hope of a positive outcome.”
Bristol Fire and Rescue, the Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
The Lincoln County Communications Center dispatched first responders at 7:05 p.m.
