Man who tried to drown himself is suing police, lifeguard for saving him

Mateusz Fijalkowski was an assistant manager of a pool in Fairfax, Virginia, two years ago.

In the United States from Poland on a summer programme, Fijalkowski spent most of his time hospitalised after nearly drowning in that pool. Now the 23-year-old, is suing the police officers and lifeguard who pulled him out.

According to Fijalkowski, he was left underwater for more than two minutes. He says in a lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Virginia last week, that eight police officers watched and stopped a lifeguard from jumping in to help.

Police contend that the officers acted appropriately to both save him and protect the lifeguard and themselves from a disturbed person.

When the lifeguard did pull him out, according to his lawsuit, Fijalkowski had stopped breathing and had no pulse.

Speaking about it Mateusz Fijalkowski said that the police allowed him to sink before their eyes.

“I’m glad that in the end they realised that they shouldn’t let me drown, but I don’t thank them for letting me die, clinically, before their eyes.”

He is suing because he has more than $100,000 (£73,000) in medical bills from the episode, he said.

The police, on their part, are incredulous.

“They saved his life – he did not die,” Fairfax County Police chief Edwin Roessler said. “You’re going to sue someone for saving your life?”

Had officers or the lifeguard gone in earlier, they might have been dragged under the water themselves, he added.