Nahant beachgoers hailed for saving man suffering heart attack

NAHANT – Two quick-thinking Nahant residents are credited with saving the life of a Nahant man following a medical emergency on Tudor Beach on Monday afternoon.Police Lt. Thomas Hutton said after a 50-year-old male collapsed in the water, Kerryn Ward and Joyce Hughes pulled him to the edge of the water and started administering first aid.”The two women are to be commended for their assistance in this medical emergency,” Hutton said.Hutton said based on eyewitness reports, the man was standing in the water when he collapsed from what appeared to be a heart attack at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Monday.”The gentleman collapsed in the water,” he said. “Ward and Hughes dragged him to the edge of the water and from what I understand they started attending to the victim. The party was laying on his side and having trouble breathing when emergency personnel arrived. He had a lot of water in his lungs when the paramedics got there.”Hutton said Nahant police received several 911 calls about someone having a possible heart attack in the water at Tudor Beach.”Officer Armand Conti responded and administered oxygen,” he said. The Nahant Fire Department responded and did an excellent job until ALS (advanced life support) arrived. The victim was transported to Salem Hospital and released after a few days.”