SOLIDARITY
The Good Samaritan is also a lobsterman: Maine man saves person from sinking car

JEANINE SANTUCCI, USA TODAY
November 17, 2023 

A Maine lobsterman who saw a car sinking in a bay on Thursday afternoon sprang into action, grabbing his diving gear and helping first responders pull out the unconscious driver.

Manny Kourinos, a lobsterman who also has a mooring service company in Portland, Maine, said he was filled with adrenaline and knew he had the right gear to help. Kourinos told USA TODAY he's been diving for over 20 years and didn't hesitate to get in the water.

"It was a complete adrenaline rush. Other people were in the water trying to do the best they could, but they didn't have scuba gear," he said. "It was just automatic, didn't even think about it when it was happening."

Kourinos said he jumped from the lobster boat, dove to the car, grabbed the person inside by the waist and pulled them out of the driver's side window.

The 33-year-old person rescued from the car, who was not identified by authorities, was unresponsive and had no pulse but was able to be revived and is in stable condition at Maine Medical Center, police in Portland said in a statement posted to social media.

"I'm a spiritual person. I believe I was placed to be at the right place at the right time and I hope the person, the victim, has a full recovery and I wish the best for them and their family and friends," Kourinos said.


Lobsterman Manny Kourinos, shown in this undated picture, helped first responders pull a person out of a car that was sinking in the Casco Bay, Maine, on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2023.

Local news footage from News Center Maine showed images of the brightly colored car sinking into the water nose-first. By the time Kourinos got under the water, he estimated it had sunk 12 to 15 feet below the surface and was resting on the seabed, he said.

The Portland Police Department said they responded to a report of a car entering the water in the East End Beach area at the Casco Bay. It wasn't clear what caused the car to go into the water, police said, but it had been reported stolen out of South Portland earlier in the day.

Kourinos said he didn't see the vehicle go into the water, but saw something orange in the water and realized it was a car when he brought his boat closer, heard sirens and saw people swimming toward it.

After rescuing the person, Kourinos said he went back down to make sure there wasn't anybody else in the car and to get the car's license plate number.

Having to recover a body underwater "has always been one of my biggest fears," Kourinos said, but he was hopeful first responders would be able to save the person.

After the daring rescue, "we went back to work... nobody's going to do my work," he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maine lobsterman makes daring rescue after car goes into the water