Slidell woman and her dog save man from drowning

A young law student will have an interesting tale for her classmates when she returns to her studies at the College of William & Mary in Virginia this week.

Melissa McDowell was home on Christmas break, visiting her parents in Slidell’s Chamale community. Around 10:45 a.m. on Jan. 6, she was out walking the family dog, Beau, near the Chamale Cove marina, when the Sheltie began barking furiously.

“He was just standing on the edge of the dock, barking like crazy, so I followed him over there to see what it was,” she said. “That’s when I saw this man in the water.”

McDowell said at first she didn’t realize the man was in peril, thinking at first he might simply be looking for something. When she saw he was having trouble breathing and keeping his head above the water, she knew something was wrong.

The man was Robert Sollberger, 56, a Chamale resident and local architect. He had slipped off the edge of the dock, severely cutting his hand on the way down. Though the water was shallow, barely more than a foot deep, Sollberger was disoriented and became entangled in marsh grass.

A petite woman, McDowell knew she could not pull him out by herself, so she used her cell phone to call 911 and stayed with him until he managed to free himself.

He had just climbed up to the bank when emergency personnel arrived. According to Capt. Kevin O’Neill of the Slidell Police Department, the man told them he had been lying in the water for more than 30 minutes when McDowell happened upon him.

“The officers said the water was icy, even though the air was warm,” said O’Neill. “If she hadn’t found him he might have died from exposure.”

Deputy Chief Vince Coulon of St. Tammany Fire District 1 confirmed that hypothermia was the paramedics’ chief concern. After ensuring his body temperature was stabilized, Sollberger was transported to Slidell Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for the cut and released.

O’Neill said it was not clear exactly what caused the man to fall into the water.

No blood alcohol tests were performed, so it could not be determined if alcohol was a factor.