Coast Guard Helicopter Hoists Injured Rafter From Remote Oregon Riverbank

A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted an injured rafter from a remote riverbank after rescuers were unable to reach a group of 10 people by road.

Courtesy footage from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend shows an MH-65 Dolphin hovering above a clearing beside the Rogue River as a rescue swimmer and crew hoist the injured man from the bank.

Curry County requested assistance at 4:16 p.m. on October 1 after deputies could not reach the rafting party. A Joint Rescue Coordination Center Seattle crew was sent to the scene, arriving at 6:28 p.m.

The crew located the group in a clearing and hoisted a 68-year-old man who had suffered a leg injury. He was taken to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, where he arrived at 7:30 p.m.

The man’s condition was not released. Lt. Cmdr. Tahnee Zaccano said the rescue was made possible through coordination between the sheriff’s office, the rafting party’s satellite messenger and the aircrew.