Three Lane County Sheriff’s deputies were recognized earlier this month at the annual Oregon State Sheriff’s Association conference | Lane County Sheriff's Office
Three Lane County Sheriff’s deputies were recognized earlier this month at the annual Oregon State Sheriff’s Association conference | Lane County Sheriff's Office
Three Lane County Sheriff’s deputies were recognized earlier this month at the annual Oregon State Sheriff’s Association conference for saving the life of a man that was unconscious and stranded in his vehicle in the Willamette River.
Video of the rescue can be viewed at: https://oregonsheriffs.org/.../2022-ossa-life-saving-award/
On 1/5/22 at 1421 hours, it was a reported that a vehicle was in the Willamette River under the Jasper Bridge with one male occupant visible, but unresponsive. The river was at flood stage level with the water moving at a very high rate of speed. The water level was to the truck’s door handle making it very unstable with the risk of the vehicle being swept downstream at any moment. Several deputies arrived on scene and made a plan to rescue the occupant. Search and Rescue Manager Tim Chase along with Marine Deputy Eric Churchill called for a tow truck and launched a boat. The first priority was to stabilize the truck so it would not be swept down river and to prevent it from tumbling in the swift moving water. Tim and Eric took the tow truck cable out to the truck where they could see the male was alive, but still unresponsive. They were able to break out a portion of the front window and secure the cable around the “a” pillar. This provided some stability to the truck and gave them time to prepare a rescue plan.
The water temperature is very cold in January and they knew that the longer the male was in the water, the less the chance of survival due to hypothermia. Tim and Eric returned to shore and picked up Marine Sergeant Steve Sieczkowski. Tim, Eric, and Steve returned to the truck, lowered the tailgate and broke out the back window of the truck. This allowed them to enter the truck and secure the male. Eric and Steve were able to pull the male out the back window and onto the boat. Once on the boat they returned to shore where EMTs and an ambulance were able to render additional aid and transport him to the hospital for continued care.
Without their quick thinking and action, the male would not have survived. Heroes like these make the world a better place. We could not be more proud of them.
Original source can be found here.
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