PUERTO RICO (WTVB) – A 68-year-old man from Kalamazoo who swam seven hours to safety after falling off a sailboat near the northern coast of Puerto Rico is scheduled to be released from a hospital on Friday.
David Thompson was rushed to a private hospital after stumbling into a Puerto Rican resort on March 13, 2016. He was suffering from severe dehydration and coral reef cuts after fighting his way through four miles of the Atlantic Ocean.
20-knot winds and 10-foot swells knocked Thompson overboard that day, and surging water severed the safety line that connected him to the 49-foot vessel. The rough waters also tore off Thompson’s life vest and most of his clothes.
The retired engineer says the thought of his two-year-old granddaughter gave him the strength to complete the swim.
By Anthony Pollreisz
