NATICK (CBS) – A teen nearly killed in a wakeboarding accident is recovering thanks to some firefighters who knew there was something wrong even after he got out of the water. On Tuesday, Austin Brennan returned to Natick to thank the firefighters who saved him.

On May 30, Austin was with his friends on Lake Cochituate when he lost control and went down.

“I was trying this one trick over and over, which is just like a 360,” says Austin.

He doesn’t know what happened next.

“I remember going up for the trick,” he says, “but after that I was just unconscious for awhile and ended up in the ambulance.”

Neighbors called 911 for help. When firefighters got to the scene, Austin was out of the water but Firefighter Rick Weitzen could tell he was not OK.

“He was talking to us, but he just wasn’t, something in you tells you that something’s just not right,” says Weitzen. “We made the decision to go to Beth Israel.”

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Bernice Corpuz reports

It turns out not only did he suffer a concussion, but what’s called secondary drowning. Water was in his lungs, a serious and deadly situation.

His mom can’t thank the first responders enough.

“The decision they made to take him to Boston saved his life,” says Sandra Brennan.

Austin still is recovering but says he will be back on his wakeboard when he feels better.