The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced an injured fisherman Monday from a fishing boat near St. Paul.
According to a statement from the Coast Guard, the command center in Juneau got the initial request for the medevac from the boat’s master around 7:45 p.m. Sunday. They said the crew member had sustained a “serious injury” to his arm after a hatch closed on it.
A helicopter crew hoisted the man from the 169-foot Constellation at about 9:30 Monday morning — just outside St. Paul Harbor, the statement said. He was taken to the island’s health center, but was later medevaced to Anchorage for further care.
The Coast Guard launched the Jayhawk helicopter crew out of Cold Bay. The Coast Guard says they keep an aircrew in Cold Bay for these kinds of situations during the busy winter fishing season. They also launched a C-130 aircraft crew out of Kodiak for support.
“Thanks to the cooperation among various Coast Guard crews from Air Station Kodiak and the 17th District, along with the crew aboard Constellation, the staff at St. Paul Health Center, and the Guardian Flight aircrew, this man will receive the medical care he needs in Anchorage,” said Chief Petty Officer Bobbi East, 17th District command duty officer for the case.
On-scene conditions at the time included 44-mph wind gusts and 10-foot seas.
