The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a man from a fishing boat Tuesday night, approximately 200 miles southwest of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, according to a USCG statement.
The Coast Guard command center in Juneau received a call from the fishing boat Patricia Lee at about 4 p.m. requesting a medevac after one of their crew members “sustained serious injuries to his pelvic region” after being pinned by a crab pot.
A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak hoisted the injured fisherman from the fishing boat at about 11:50 p.m, according to the statement. He was flown to Unalaska and placed in the care of LifeMed personnel.
While the 117-foot vessel made its way toward Dutch Harbor, the command center directed the launch of the Air Station Kodiak helicopter crew from Cold Bay, the statement said. A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft crew and an additional MH-60 Jayhawk aircraft crew were also launched from Air Station Kodiak to provide back up.
"Thanks to the cooperation among air crew members, the command center team and the crew aboard Patricia Lee, our Kodiak team was able to hoist and deliver this young individual to a higher level of care," Lt. Robert McConnel, Air Station Kodiak operations duty officer for the case, said in a statement. "Our crews routinely train for the treacherous Alaska night conditions they encountered yesterday. It feels good to see our team execute when someone's life is on the line."
Weather at the time included 40 mph winds gusting to 55 and 14-foot seas, with rain, snow and sleet squalls.
