A reaction to blood pressure medication that triggered a blackout appears to be what caused architect Robert Sollberger to fall into the water last week at the Chamale Cove Marina.

Sollberger’s fiancé, Patricia Curtis, said Sollberger had just returned from a New Year’s trip with his son, and had gone to check on his boat.

“He hadn’t been on the medication very long, and said he was feeling funny that morning,” said Curtis. “He was scheduled to go back to the doctor later this week to see how he was doing with it.” Sollberger was walking on the dock when he reportedly blacked out and slipped into the water at the edge of the dock. In addition to a severe cut on his hand, he also bumped his head on the way down, leaving him to lie disoriented in the water for nearly 45 minutes before law student Melissa McDowell discovered him while walking her dog.

Emergency personnel treated Sollberger for hypothermia and the cut before transporting him to Slidell Memorial Hospital. Although police had previously reported he was treated and released, Curtis said the bump to the head left Sollberger with a hematoma, and he remained in the hospital for three days.

While he is recovering well from the incident, Curtis said that doctors are still keeping a close eye on him.

“He doesn’t remember what happened to him, just that one minute he was walking on the dock and then he was sitting on the bank,” she said. “They still want to do some tests to make sure everything is okay.”

Curtis called McDowell’s parents hoping to find the young lady that had helped her fiancé. Sollberger was able to speak with her for a few minutes, and thanked her for saving his life, although the details are still a bit hazy for him.

Sollberger has been an architect for nearly 30 years and has worked on dozens of residential and commercial properties in the Slidell area.