An elderly man was rescued early Saturday in Canton, Michigan, when community members and police officers rushed to help after he fell from a second-story window.
The wife of the man who fell from the window said her husband, who suffers from dementia, was trying to exit the upstairs room but did not know how, WXYZ reported Wednesday.
Lynnette Barnett told the outlet her husband chose to go out the window.
“He told me he thought that was his best choice. He couldn’t find his way out of the room,” she said, adding the window closed on his foot and prevented him falling onto the ground, which could have been fatal.
Meanwhile, a neighbor identified as Blair Kraft heard the man calling for help. Kraft grabbed his ladder but moments later realized it was not tall enough to reach the man and he could not rescue him without help. However, it was not long after Kraft’s wife called 911 that officers with the Canton Police Department arrived and got underneath the man in case the worst happened.
Video footage shows the officers intensely focused on the rescue. One of them stands just inside the window, holding onto the man’s foot.
The first responders were eventually able to pull the man back inside the home. The man, who did not suffer any serious injuries during the incident, has since been placed in an assisted living facility where workers know exactly what kind of care he needs.
According to Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh, a situation like the recent one can cause a person a lot of trauma. However, he expressed thankfulness that neighbors and officers were there to help.
“We were so fortunate we had some quick-thinking residents, some real ingenious police officers and they all came together. Police officers formed like a human pyramid. They worked with the neighbors to get a ladder. The love, the compassion that came out through the officers,” he said.
Per the Mayo Clinic’s website, “Dementia is a term used to describe a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities. In people who have dementia, the symptoms interfere with their daily lives. Dementia isn’t one specific disease. Several diseases can cause dementia.”
The Canton Police Department’s website said its officers “deliver excellent police service to those who live, work and visit our community by deploying the most highly trained and qualified personnel in order to provide a safe and secure community.”
