By The Joel Fishman family & friends
On Saturday, Nov. 10, our 60-year-old friend, a veteran of the waves since childhood, Joel Fishman, was surfing just south of the Santa Monica Pier. He wiped out at one point and two brothers on the beach — Eric and Justin Crown — noticed he was not moving and appeared unconscious face down in the water. They quickly went to him and carefully brought him out of the ocean. A lifeguard from the nearby Central Station administered CPR and Joel was transferred to UCLA. He had fractured and dislocated two of the bones in his neck. He was in traction, but the loss of movement required surgery the following day.
Joel’s family and friends would like to express their deep gratitude to the Crown brothers and the lifeguards whose initial aid saved his life. The doctors and nurses at UCLA have been amazing and, despite the long recovery ahead for Joel, he feels lucky to be alive.
Life can change in a fleeting moment... we feel blessed that strangers took such care to keep Joel with us. Thank you!
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 23, 2007. Read the original PDF.