SKOWHEGAN — A Florida banker visiting family at their riverside home in Skowhegan pulled a man from the Kennebec River Saturday afternoon, just as Skowhegan police, fire and emergency medical personnel arrived to help save the man’s life.

Tom Cleaver, from Bokeelia, Fla., said he heard a boater yelling to call 911 just before 5 p.m. Saturday — someone appeared to be unconscious in the water.

Richard Dunton of Skowhegan, who was visiting the Cleaver family on Norridgewock Avenue, had been swimming with his wife just minutes earlier. Now, Cleaver said, Dunton was floating face down in the water.

“I ran down and could see him in the water — it was just a couple of swim strokes beyond where you could stand up in the water, very little current,” Cleaver said. “He was lifeless in the water; he was face down in the water and I just pulled him into shore — it only took a minute or so and by that time (Cleaver’s brother) Kip started to do (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) right away.”

Dunton, 64, of Alder Street, was listed in critical condition Monday afternoon at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor where he had been taken by LifeFlight helicopter. There was no report Monday on what caused Dunton to lose consciousness.

Skowhegan police Officers Ronnie Blodgett and Jason Gayne arrived on the scene after reports that someone was out of the water, but not breathing, Police Chief Michael Emmons said Monday.

“Ronnie and Jason performed CPR on him and got him so he was breathing some on his own; he was still unconscious,” Emmons said.

Skowhegan Fire Chief Tom Keene said fire crews along with paramedics from Emergency Medical Services at Redington-Fairview General Hospital arrived and assisted in reviving Dunton and prepared him for the flight to Bangor.

“He was pulled from the water by a visitor from number 2 Norridgewock Ave.,” Keene said of the home where Dorothy and the late Charles Cleaver, Tom and Kip’s parents, have lived for 30 years.

Tom Cleaver downplayed his efforts Monday to save Dunton. He said local authorities were the real heroes Saturday.

“The rescue people were here almost instantly and they took over right away,” he said. “Those police could have won any 100-yard dash I’ve seen; I mean, they flew out of their cars down there and the rescue people, too, they just were working very fast and very hard. We were very impressed about how seriously, how professionally and how quickly they responded.”

What was fortunate Saturday afternoon, Cleaver said, was that Tony Carter of Norridgewock just happened to be passing by in a motor boat. He also was one of the heroes, he said.

Contacted Monday, Carter said he could seen Dunton floating face down in the water and yelled to the people on shore to dial 911.

“The guy that I yelled to and ran and pulled him out of the water and the other one that gave him CPR, in my opinion, those two guys are heroes,” Carter said of the Cleaver brothers. “What they did was above and beyond; it was unreal how quick they got him out of the water and how quick they did CPR on him.”

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

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