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Fisherman credits area man with saving life

By Patty Yauger 5 min read

SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE – Lloyd Maust began fishing at the age of six. Now, nearly 60 years later, despite a failing heart and diabetes, he can still be found along the Yough-iogeny River and its tributaries with his brother at his side, enjoying the tranquil environment and the sport. On April 7, however, his normal, serene outing took a sudden, near-fatal turn. Had it not been for his ‘guardian angel,’ Maust believes the early spring fishing trip would have been his last.

“I truly believe the Lord was looking out for me and sent that young man to help me,” said a tearful Maust as he recalled the turn of events. “I was ready to go; I knew I’d be in the Lord’s hands.”

This week, the members of the South Connellsville Rod and Gun Club recognized Maust’s guardian angel – John Hillen – with a plaque to honor the selfless act that risked his own life as he saved another.

On that fateful day, Maust and his brother, Richard, had set out for the South Connellsville Rod and Gun Club to do “a little trout fishing,” as the waterways had been recently stocked.

The two walked to one of their favorite spots, only to find the river waters surging through the area.

“We were only there for 10 or 15 minutes and I told my brother that there was no sense in staying; the wind was blowing too hard and the river was moving too fast,” said Lloyd Maust. “We weren’t going to get anything.”

As they started to return to their vehicle, the brothers decided to put their lines in at another location, near a train trestle by the clubhouse, where the water might be more conducive to fishing.

That, too, said Lloyd Maust, proved frustrating, as their lines continued to become entangled because of the high waters and their prospective catch of the day escaped from their hooks.

Equipped with his knee-high fishing boots, Lloyd Maust decided to walk further upstream. “My brother said not to do it, because I might fall, but I told him that it would be alright because there was a nice, little path going down there,” he said.

Lloyd said that as he began his descent, his brother’s words came true and he lost his footing and slid down the concrete path into the waterway.

“I was moving really quick,” he said. Within a few seconds, Lloyd Maust said that his foot became caught in the rocks and he toppled into the deep water head-first into a conglomeration of gravel, pig iron, coal and stones.

He said he became unconscious, but he was out of his brother’s view.

“The next thing I remember was my brother hollering at me, asking if I had had any hits (on my fishing line),” said Lloyd Maust. “I thought I was dreaming or something.”

He said that he responded that he had been severely hurt and advised his sibling to seek help rather than try to save him alone.

Lloyd Maust later learned that he had been unconscious for nearly an hour – his right arm wrapped around a tree limb, which kept him from being swallowed by the water.

Word of the pending tragedy traveled up and down the riverbank and help began to arrive, but his location prohibited any immediate rescue efforts.

“I had just finished telling my brother that I loved him and that I wanted him to tell my wife that I loved her,” said Lloyd Maust, “because I knew I was losing my strength and I couldn’t hold on much longer. I told (my brother) that I was sorry; that the river was getting me.

“I started floating out into the water when all of a sudden this kid jumped out of the water right up in front of me and told me I wasn’t going anywhere.”

Hillen and his companion, too, had been hampered by the weather during their fishing outing that day and were headed toward their vehicle when they learned of the nearby mishap.

“I just ran down (to the scene); I didn’t think how deep the water was; about how cold the water was; I just went in,” said Hillen.

He said that the water reached his chest and immediately filled his waders that he still wore.

“I asked him what hurt?” recalled Hillen, “because he really looked bad.”

For nearly an hour, Hillen said that he kept the injured Lloyd Maust pinned against the riverbank and the two conversed about “everything under the sun” in order to maintain his consciousness.

“I didn’t do anything somebody else wouldn’t have done,” he said.

“I did whatever I could do keep him out of the water.”

The rescue, he said, was delayed because of the location, but Fayette EMS personnel were able to scale the embankment to treat the head injuries. South Connellsville Volunteer Fire Co. members later utilized their equipment to get the injured man to safety.

Hillen shies away from being described as a hero, stating that he was the only person at the scene physically capable of taking on the task.

“People do things like that every day,” he said. Lloyd Maust meanwhile incurred a myriad of injuries, including a broken arm, shoulder and hand. He spent several days in the hospital.

Since the incident, Lloyd Maust said that he has thought many times how that divine intervention played a key role and placed Hillen in his life’s path.

“I know the Lord put John there, right at the time I needed him,” he said. “If my brother would have come to my rescue, we both would have drowned.

“The Lord was truly with me.”

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