GREENFIELD — A Greenfield man was hospitalized Tuesday with hypothermia after he slipped and fell into an in-ground pool in his backyard.
The pool had about 4 feet of water in it, and the man sustained a head injury from his fall; but the bitter cold that fell over the county Tuesday night did the most damage, officials said.
Medics said they believe the man had been in the water for about an hour before he was found. He was rushed to an Indianapolis hospital, where he was recovering Wednesday.
Fire officials did not release their patient’s name or age. They did estimate the man is in his late 60s or early 70s.
Hypothermia is a medical condition, where the body’s temperature drops so low it affects the organs and nervous systems. Hypothermia can be fatal if it is not treated quickly and properly, according to the American Red Cross.
The man was conscious, and he told first-responders he had gone into his backyard in the 7400 block of Sacramento Drive in Greenfield after hearing an odd noise outside, as if two animals were fighting.
As he walked out onto this back step, he slipped and fell into the pool.
Crews with the Buck Creek Fire Department were sent to the man’s home around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after a relative found him and called 911.
The first-responders who arrived at the home pulled the man from the pool and began treating his injuries, wrapping him in blankets, said Buck Creek Fire Chief Dave Sutherlin.
The man was rushed to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital. He remained there Wednesday, but his condition was not known at press time.
The pool he fell into was in disrepair and hadn’t been used for at least 20 years, Sutherlin said. There was only about 4 feet of water in the pool along with overgrowth of trees and shrubs.
Sutherlin said his crews do not believe the man’s head was underwater for long, if at all; he was standing upright when he was found.