UPDATE: Rescuers pull 18-year-old from Vernon's Pit
Jun. 22—A dive team called in to help investigate a report of a possible drowning at Vernon's Pit on Wednesday around 1 p.m. pulled an 18-year-old from the water about two hours later.
Rescuers put the man in a basket to carry him up the quarry cliff, then began CPR using an electronic device that does chest compression, and loaded the man onto a pickup truck. The rescuers kept working as the man was taken to Addison Gilbert Hospital.
The man was part of group of three to six youths swimming in the quarry, according to Gloucester Assistant Fire Chief Bob Rivas, and was cold when pulled from the water.
The youths was escorted into Plum Cove School by police. The group, including a girl crying, had been seen being lead from the quarry earlier by an officer.
Besides the Beverly-based dive team, State Police and Environmental Police, and Gloucester Police, Fire and ambulance personnel were on scene.
The city disallows swimming in Vernon's Pit, Nelson's Pit, and especially Klondike Reservoir, part of the city's public water supply.
During the past few years in the summer season, the city's Public Works and Police departments have received an uptick in calls from residents who have expressed concerns and frustrations with large crowds, vandalism, litter, and fires at the quarries.
This story will be updated at gloucestertimes.com and for Thursday's print edition.
