By Jeff Lipton
The beach club's lifeguards and a Hewlett podiatrist teamed up to resuscitate the man after pulling him from the club's pool and performing CPR. "They brought him back from the dead," said Silver Point's head lifeguard, Ken Krayer.
The victim, Michael Boosin, a competitive swimmer and an accomplished triathlete, was doing breathing exercises and swimming laps under water in the outdoor pool at the club, at 2189 Atlantic Blvd., at about 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 13 when he lost consciousness, witnesses said.
A lifeguard, Allison Klein, spotted Boosin at the bottom of the pool and alerted another guard, Lauren McNoble. Both of them pulled him to the surface and laid him down at the side of the pool, witnesses said.
"His face was totally blue, he had no pulse and he was not breathing when he was pulled out of the water," said Krayer. "He was apparently holding his breath for quite a while before he passed out. I guess he pushed himself a little too hard. When he attempted to come up [to the surface], he blacked out."
Dr. Nicholas Tumminello, a Hewlett podiatrist who is also a Nassau County police officer, was swimming in the pool with his family when he saw the commotion and quickly sprang into action. Tumminello, a member of the club, performed CPR on Boosin, which helped revive him, witnesses said.
"The man died and he was brought back to life," said Andrew DeCicco of Hewlett, a member of the club who witnessed the incident. "Dr. Tumminello was just incredible. It was a totally selfless act on his part. It was just amazing to watch. Dr. Tumminello and the lifeguards were absolutely incredible. Absolutely, 100 percent, the guy was dead."
Krayer said that when he arrived, he saw the lifeguards working on Boosin and saw how blue his face had turned. "I started telling him, 'Mike, come on. Don't do this to me,'" Krayer said.
En route to a local hospital, Boosin had come around and was doing better, and he was treated and released. Tests showed that he had fully recovered.
Boosin was back at the beach club the following day, and had come bearing gifts for his rescuers. "I was shocked that he was able to come back the next day," said DeCicco.
"He's 100 percent much, much better," said a family member of Boosin's on Monday morning.
Krayer said he was a bit surprised that such an experienced swimmer got into trouble in the water. "It just goes to show even the best swimmers in the world need lifeguards," he said. "Michael told me that he's held his breath even longer than that."
Krayer said he could not say enough good things about his lifeguards for their life-saving actions. "The lifeguards are all heroes to me," said Krayer. "I'm very, very proud of them.
"It's really a miracle," he added. "Everything worked out. They all brought a man back from the dead. And God was looking out for him."
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
