A diver working on construction at the Lake McQueeney dam found himself stuck underwater Monday afternoon before emergency crews and other divers freed him from below the water’s surface.
Stuck under water longer than four hours, the diver eventually emerged from the water for a flight to a San Antonio hospital in stable condition, Seguin Fire Department Assistant Chief Garrick Herbert said.
“They had other commercial divers on scene that were already working to solve the problem. We were able to craft a solution that freed the diver and got him out,” Herbert said. “He is expected to have a positive outcome. That’s a good thing.”
A medical flight team took the 20-year-old diver in stable condition to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Herbert said.
Voters in 2023 supported bond elections to repair the failing and aging dam that forms Lake McQueeney. Construction to fix the dam is underway and the diver trapped Monday was on the job, Herbert said.
About 5 p.m., first responders were called for a trapped diver at the dam near Hot Shot Lane, the assistant chief said. Crews from Guadalupe County Fire Rescue and New Braunfels Fire Department’s dive team joined the Seguin Fire Department to assist in the rescue, Herbert said.
They used radios to talk with the diver, who had a continuous air supply pumped into his dive suit from above, he said. Emergency responders learned that the man’s leg was stuck in a pressure differential that held him below water, Herbert said.
“I can tell you that what made this a success was a collaboration between everybody that was on scene between emergency responders, construction professionals and the emergency divers that were there,” he said. “That team worked together to have a positive outcome.”
Herbert said he had seen no medical updates on the man’s condition but also that he noticed no clear fractures of the diver’s leg upon his extrication. Firefighters cleared the scene about 6:45 p.m., he said.
