Woodbury Public Safety presented the Community Member Lifesaving Award to two residents who pulled a man from a pond in October. Pamela Khoury and Gregory Uhls were recognized for their actions at yesterday’s Woodbury City Council meeting.

At about 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 6, Khoury woke when she heard an adult male screaming for help in a pond near her home in southwest Woodbury. She roused Uhls, and as they ran to the pond through the woods she called 911. They found a man in the water about 15 feet from shore. “It was a miracle he could stay above water because it’s very deep there,” Uhls said.

Uhls was able to loop a rope around the man and pull him through the water and thick mud to a spot where first responders were able to enter the pond and bring the man to shore. “Pam’s ears saved a man’s life,” Uhls told the council. “He was probably just minutes from death.”

The man’s clothes were soaked through and the air temperature was 55 degrees. The pond water was even colder. Responders transported him to the hospital where he received additional care. “Pamela and Gregory’s quick and courageous actions saved the male from life-threatening hypothermia,” a city document states.

Mayor Anne Burt thanked both of them. “You were at the right place at the right time and did the right thing,” she said.