Sep 16, 2015 3 min read

Five people received certificates of commendation from Canonsburg Borough Council on Monday for rescuing a Canonsburg man who nearly drowned at Town Park Pool over the summer.

Lifeguards Christopher Elish, Louie Krivanek and Cora Blodgett, along with pool-goers David Buchta of Houston and Jennifer Livolsi of Canonsburg, rescued 36-year-old Albert Johnson after he was found in the deep end of the pool July 31.

Elish, who was off duty that day, was swimming with Krivanek, a junior at Canon-McMillan High School, during the 10-minute adult swim period when they spotted Johnson at the bottom of the pool.

Elish said he and Krivanek pulled Johnson from the water and carried him to the side of the pool, where Blodgett met them with a CPR mask.

“He was unconscious and definitely wasn’t breathing when we got him out of the water,” said Elish, a senior at Canon-Mac.

Buchta, an emergency room nurse at St. Clair Hospital who had accompanied his son to the pool, began chest compressions and CPR, and Livolsi, a respiratory therapist who was sitting with her sons near the shallow end of the pool when she noticed the rescue underway, ran to help.

Buchta said Johnson twice lost a pulse while the group waited for an ambulance to arrive.

“We took turns, and whenever one of us got tired, the other took over until the ambulance showed up,” said Livolsi. “It was luck, the right people being there at the right time. I’m glad we were there. My adrenaline was pumping.”

Buchta said the group worked well together to save Johnson.

“It’s always a team effort,” said Buchta, who is also assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 1378 of Houston. “Everybody did a great job. It’s a scary situation, but everyone did what they had to do.”

Johnson was flown by emergency helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, where he initially was listed in critical condition.

He has fully recovered.

Mayor David Rhome presented the group with commendations at the borough council meeting and thanked them for their service, calling them Good Samaritans.

“Because of their decision to act and their quick response, Mr. Johnson was revived,” said Rhome. “They demonstrated exceptional character.”

The lifeguards at Town Park are trained in first aid and certified in water rescue, but Elish wasn’t sure he would ever be called on to put his training to use.

“It was my first rescue and hopefully, it’s my only one,” he said. “I’m happy we were able to step in. If we weren’t around it definitely would have been a different outcome.”

Blodgett, a college student at Seton Hill University, was unable to attend.