THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A man was rescued by Coast Guard crews from the Deschutes River overnight.
Lacey Fire District 3 responded to the call around 11 p.m. alongside East Olympia Fire District 6. Rapid entry rescue swimmers with Lacey Fire reported working through dense brush and mud to make in-person contact with the man, who was found in a portion of the river with very limited access.
“Lacey PD also provided critical support with their drone and an officer / operator which was a vital tool in the initial locating of the patient on the river,” added a spokesperson with Lacey Fire.
Lacey Fire rescue swimmers took care of the man until he could be extracted.
According to a spokesperson with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), at around 1 a.m., watch standers at the Coast Guard Northwest District received a call from Thurston County Dispatch requesting an agency assist for a 45-year-old man stuck in swampy, muddy water, approximately 2 miles southeast of Olympia Regional Airport.
USCG crews aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk from Air Station Astoria, Oregon, arrived on scene at approximately 3:20 a.m. They were able to safely hoist and extract the man from where he was stuck.
He was in stable condition and was transferred to local EMS at the Olympia Regional Airport, according to the USCG.
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