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Lynbrook resident saves a life

Teen recognized for pool rescue

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Last weekend, 17-year-old Conor Dorney was manning his post at the kiddie pool area at the Lynbrook Pool when he observed that something wasn't right with one of the young swimmers.

“I noticed she had dunked her head underwater, and after a while she had some trouble breathing,” Dorney said of a 3-year-old girl whom he saved at the pool on Saturday. He and the girl's mother quickly rushed to her aide, and Dorney said he looked down the girl's throat to see if her airway was being blocked. After not seeing a blockage, he started the Heimlich maneuver. Just a few seconds later, the girl began vomiting pool water and regained normal breathing.

“It all happened so fast, it was over in no more than a minute,” Dorney said. “I was a little overwhelmed but I was just so happy she was okay and I was happy I had the training I needed to help her. It was my first save, so it was a lot to take in.”

Mayor Bill Hendrick and the village trustees, as well as Town Councilman Anthony Santino, honored Dorney at the Lynbrook village board meeting on Monday. Hendrick praised Dorney for his heroic actions, and Santino said a close friend who was at the pool and saw the incident told him of Dorney’s heroic actions.

“You knew exactly what to do and it really made a huge difference and helped prevent what could have been a very tragic situation,” Santino said. “Instead, you were cool under fire, you were obviously well trained, prepared for the worst and thank God you were in the right place in the right time.”

Dorney said he is proud to receive the recognition for his actions, but that he has yet to fully comprehend the full scope of his experience.

“It's been great, people have been coming up to me and saying different stuff and it feels really good,” he said. “I'm just still really overwhelmed by it all.”