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Tampa man rescued from near drowning in waters off Whiskey Joe's

 
Beachgoers play volleyball earlier this year at Whiskey Joe's Bar & Grill in Tampa.  [OCTATVIO JONES  |  Times]
Beachgoers play volleyball earlier this year at Whiskey Joe's Bar & Grill in Tampa. [OCTATVIO JONES | Times]
Published June 18, 2018

A Tampa man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries on Sunday after he was rescued from a near drowning off the shores of Whiskey Joe's Tampa Bar & Grill, a popular hangout on the beach of the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

When police officers arrived at the bar about 2:30 p.m., bystanders were already administering CPR to the man, Ferdinand Torres, 56.

Tampa Fire Rescue, which arrived on scene at the same time as patrol units, then took over life saving measures and transported Torres to a local hospital.

Police said there was no immediate signs of foul play and the incident appeared to be accidental.

In May, two jet skiers died on the Tampa side of the causeway near Whiskey Joe's when their watercrafts collided.

Contact Paul Guzzo at pguzzo@tampabay.com. Follow @PGuzzoTimes.