Child reports windsurfing dad in distress; CT fire department rescues man off coast

A man who was reported as in distress while he was windsurfing off the coast of Connecticut Friday night was rescued after his child called 911 to ask for help, according to fire officials.

The Milford Fire Department reported that the child called 911 just after 8:30 p.m. to report that “her father” was windsurfing and was in distress off the shore of Morningside Drive in Milford.

Fire officials said the child’s call received by the Milford Emergency Operations Center also included a report by the child that child’s mother had “gone out an hour prior on a paddle board to try and locate the father.”

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Fire Department units made contact with the mother through a cell phone, and “she refused to turn around and come back to shore,” fire officials said in a statement.

The Milford Fire Department launched marine vessels and crews and were able to locate the windsurfer about a mile offshore of Morningside Drive, officials said in a statement.

Officials said the child’s mother “made it back to shore on her own accord,” and the windsurfer was loaded onto a Fire Department Marine Vessel and taken to an awaiting ambulance for evaluation. The dad was was evaluated and refused medical attention, officials said in a statement. None of the family members were identified.