Coast Guard rescues 9 across the Great Lakes
Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary crews across the Great Lakes rescued 9 people during multiple cases from different locations across the Coast Guard 9th District Saturday. The names of those rescued are not being released and there is no imagery or video for any of the cases, the USCG news release said.
Among other cases, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, New York, received a report just after 10:30 a.m. of two people in the water near Lock 5 in the Oswego River in Oswego, New York, during a kayaking event.
A Coast Guard Auxiliary crew was in the area doing a safety patrol for the event. The crew and a local fire department boat retrieved both of the people from the water and took them to shore.
It is unknown if they were wearing life jackets and there were no injuries or medical concerns reported.
At noon, Sector Buffalo was contacted by a member of the charter vessel "Danny O," reporting that a passenger was experiencing nausea and was unable to maintain consciousness while they were underway in Lake Erie.
Sector Buffalo directed the launch of a crew from Coast Guard Station Erie, Pennsylvania, aboard a 45-foot response boat with a certified emergency medical technician aboard. The 9th District duty flight surgeon was briefed on the situation and recommended that a medical evacuation take place. The response boat crew transported the patient safely to awaiting EMS at Dobbins Landing in Erie. The passenger's condition is unknown.
Around 6 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Detroit watchstanders received notification that a 22-foot pleasure craft, with two adults and three children aboard, was disabled and drifting in the shipping channel on the Detroit River near Zug Island, Michigan.
A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Belle Isle, Michigan, responded aboard a 45-foot response boat, took the vessel in tow and safely returned them to shore. There were no reports of injuries and the cause of the vessel becoming disabled is unknown.
Just before 8 p.m., watchstanders at Sector Buffalo received a report from a 30-foot pleasure craft that a man had fractured his ankle after falling over the bow of a boat while it was anchored in the upper Niagara River near the North Grand Island Bridge. The duty flight surgeon was briefed and recommended a medevac.
A crew from Coast Guard Station Niagara, New York, aboard a 25-foot response boat, was in the area and was on scene within five minutes. They removed the man from the vessel and transported him to EMS at the LaSalle Yacht Club in Niagara Falls, New York. The man's current medical condition is unknown.
The Coast Guard reminds boaters of just how important planning is when heading out on the water. Make sure you have an effective means of communication, such as a personal locator beacon and a VHF-FM marine radio. Because of coverage gaps and the fact that most aren't made for use in a maritime environment, don't rely on your cell phone.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's seven uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the U.S. military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission.