Kendall County deputy credited with saving man from drowning

Kendall County Sheriff’s Deputy Phil Lynch knows that seconds count in a life or death situation.

That was the case last October, when Lynch and fellow Kendall County Sheriff’s Deputy David Angerame responded to a man who became pinned under a lawn tractor in a small pond in Oswego Township.

Even before arriving at the scene, Lynch was trying to plan in his head what he might need to do.

“You never truly know what you’re going to do or what you’re going to need to do until you get there, but trying to plan stuff out while you’re on the way helps,” he said.

“I like being able to serve people in my own community.”

—  Deputy Phil Lynch, Kendall County Sheriff’s Office

Kendall County Sheriff’s Deputy David Angerame found the man pinned underneath the lawn tractor with his face barely above the waterline. He then climbed into the water and noticed the tractor was sinking into the mud and dragging the man further under the water.

Angerame attempted to stabilize the lawn tractor to keep it from sinking further while holding the man’s head above the water to ensure he was able to breathe. Plainfield Fire Department personnel arrived on the scene and began developing a plan to free the man.

Lynch also arrived on the scene and entered the water to assist as well. Deputies along with Plainfield Fire Department personnel were able to move the lawn tractor and Lynch pulled the man out from under the lawn tractor.

The man was not injured.

“If we would have gotten there too late, it might not have gone the way it did,” Lynch said. “But fortunately, everything worked out so we were able to help him out.”

Deputy Dan Briars, public information officer for the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, is not surprised that Lynch reacted so quickly.

“Everybody here at the Sheriff’s Office is ready to do whatever we can to try and help people out, especially in that circumstance,” he said. “Time was of the essence. They sprang into action as quickly as possible. That’s the kind of guys they are. They’re going to do everything they can to help people in those situations.”

Lynch is happy the man survived such an incident.

“That’s an excellent result,” he said. “I like when that happens. I like when we can succeed at something like that.”

That’s the reason he decided to get into law enforcement in the first place, to help other people.

“It felt great to be able to actually do something like that,” he said.

Lynch, 33, has been with the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office for just more than four years. He transferred to the patrol division after previously being in the corrections division.

He grew up in Kendall County and his father worked in the corrections division at a neighboring sheriff’s office before retiring.

“He was proud of what he did,” Lynch said. “And with my upbringing, I wanted to get into the field. I like being able to serve people in my own community.”