enlarge Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal

Shawn Lawson holds onto a metal control wheel atop the North Wayne Dam moments before he was swept over the dam and onto the rocks about 15 feet below Monday. After being pulled from the river by rescuers, Lawson was transported to a Lewiston hospital, treated and released.

WAYNE — A Winthrop man escaped serious injury Monday when he was swept over the North Wayne Dam and fell to the rocks below.

Shawn Lawson, 25, was taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where he was treated and released, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Lawson and a friend were swimming about 3 p.m. when both began to drift toward the dam, said Andy Molloy, a staff photographer with the Kennebec Journal who had been snapping feature photos of the men before the accident.

The swimming area near the dam, which is for residents only, is typically very safe, said Wayne Assistant Fire Chief Brian Roche. But a string of recent rainstorms has made the area much more volatile.

"The water's running real strong," Roche said. "When water's running that hard, it's not safe. It's like Niagara (Falls) coming over there."

Molloy said he tried to warn the men to get out of the water. Lawson's friend, who was not identified, was able to swim to shore, but Lawson was pulled toward the dam.

He was able to briefly stop his fall by holding onto a metal control wheel at the top of the falls, but then fell about 15 feet to the rocks below.

"He just simply went over the falls," Roche said.

Lawson was submerged up to his shoulders, but was able to keep his head above water by holding onto branches at the base of the dam, Molloy said.

Molloy, who has worked as a first responder in the past, and two men who had been working nearby were able to pull Lawson to shore and hold him above water until rescuers arrived.

"Andy (Molloy) went into the water and dragged him to the edge," Roche said. "He was the man who saved (Lawson) from going under permanently."

Lawson was held in the water at the base of a steep bank. Wayne firefighters and Winthrop Ambulance Service crews were able to place Lawson on a backboard at the water's edge to get him up the hill safely, Roche said.

"It did require a lot of help from a lot of people to carry him up the bank," he said. "It was a steep bank."

"We don't have a lot of equipment on the truck for a low-angle rescue," said Steve Baxter, a paramedic with Winthrop Ambulance.

Lawson suffered what appeared to be a leg injury from falling onto the rocks, but the outcome could have been worse, Roche said.

"Despite the problems we had, it worked very smoothly," he said. "Because of the training of the fire department and the training of the ambulance service, it went off without a hitch."