The US Coast Guard rescued a 30-year-old woman from the Detroit River late Sunday evening after she was reported to have fallen overboard when the vessel she was on was struck by another boat’s wake.
Just after 11:15 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Detroit received a report of an unconscious woman in the Detroit River, north of the MacArthur Bridge, who had fallen overboard when her vessel hit small wake. Two good Samaritan vessels were on scene, but were unable to bring the woman aboard.
Sector Detroit watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station Belle Isle, Michigan, boat crew, aboard a 25-foot response boat.
At 11:28 p.m., the response boat crew arrived on scene and recovered the woman from the water, unconscious and unresponsive. Crew members initiated CPR and took the woman to Sector Detroit.
Once ashore, the response boat crew and an EMT-certified Sector Detroit watchstander continued CPR until emergency medical services arrived.
The woman was transferred to EMS and taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital unconscious and unresponsive. It was reported that she was not wearing a life jacket.
Just after midnight, Sector Detroit watchstanders were notified by the hospital that the woman was responsive and in critical condition.
“It is important that boaters be aware of their wake when operating in proximity to other vessels or close to shore,” said Chief Petty Officer Gabriel Settel, the assistant command center supervisor at Sector Detroit.
“It was because of their training that our boat crews were able to respond to a complex situation.”
The Coast Guard also reminds boaters to wear a life jacket at all times when underway as water conditions are unpredictable and can change in an instant.