Coast guard rescues 85-year-old boater near Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Coast guard rescues 85-year-old boater

An 85-year-old man was rescued near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Sunday after he radioed for help, according to officials.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - An 85-year-old man was rescued one mile south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Sunday, according to officials.

A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater aircrew medevaced the man who radioed for help around 11 a.m.

Officials say the 85-year-old said he was experiencing heart attack-like symptoms and reported that his boat had engine failure.

Authorities say he was taken to Tampa General Hospital for further medical care.

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A Station St. Petersburg boat crew also helped with the rescue.

"The distressed boater did an outstanding job by hailing over Channel 16 for assistance," said Lt. Casey Skomer, an operations unit controller at Sector St. Petersburg. "Coast Guard units already in the area for training heard the man’s hail and were able to immediately respond and assist the boater in a timely manner."

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