Man Critical After Near Drowning At Gunners Lake

Update, 4:07 a.m.: Police say the victim, now reported as 38, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

The victim, a Gaithersburg man, was with an adult male friend and operating a radio-controlled sailboat, Montgomery County Police said in a release. The boat was about 30 yards from shore when it became disabled and the man waded out to the boat to bring it back to shore.

"For reasons still under investigation, the man experienced difficulty in making it back to shore and yelled to his friend for help. The victim then disappeared below the water," police said.

It is believed that the deepest portion of Gunners Lake is not more than 8 to 10 feet.

The friend was able to bring the victim back to shore where he and a female bystander began CPR. Another man called 911, and an ambulance took him to an area hospital, police said.

Original: A 40-year-old man remains unconscious and unresponsive Monday night after nearly drowning in Gunners Lake.

Montgomery County Fire Capt. Oscar Garcia said the department received a report at 6:51 p.m. Monday of a possible drowning near the intersection of Wisteria and Sky Blue Drive, which abuts Gunners Lake, Garcia said.

When the department arrived on scene, the man was already out of the water, unconscious and unresponsive, Garcia said.

Fire and rescue teams continued care as they transported the man to a local hospital, where he continued to be unconscious and unresponsive. Police said just after 8 p.m. that the man was still alive.

Montgomery County Police are still on scene interviewing witnesses and trying to piece together exactly what happened, said a spokeswoman for the department.

Check Germantown Patch for updates to this story as it develops.