Trio rescued unconscious man in water who had fallen 40 feet
Published 2:45 am Thursday, December 8, 2016
TULALIP — Local heroes and Red Cross volunteers were to be honored Thursday for acts of courage, selflessness and service to community. The 2016 Red Cross Centennial Heroes Breakfast, at the Tulalip Resort Casino, is a fundraising event to help support the American Red Cross serving Snohomish County.
See the stories about all 10 awards
Good Samaritans: Marisa Fernandez, Preston Hoffman, Jake Schipper
It was nearly sunset on March 5 when three Bellingham friends came to the rescue of a man at Larrabee State Park. Preston Hoffman, Marisa Fernandez and Jake Schipper, all in their early 20s, were putting up a hammock in the park overlooking Samish Bay.
Fernandez, 21, said a man in his later 20s was on a nearby cliff. “We saw him fall. He fell about 40 feet and hit his head. He was in shallow water,” she said. Hoffman and Schipper scrambled down the steep bank, while Fernandez called 911.
Walker Johnson was bleeding and unconscious. Getting into cold, waist-deep water, Hoffman rolled the man to his side. Schipper used his body to keep the man stable. During the nearly two-hour wait for help to reach Johnson, the trio used their jackets to keep him as warm as possible.
Because the cliff was too steep for medics to rescue Johnson from above, a 29-foot Coast Guard vessel had to maneuver into the shallows. According the The Bellingham Herald, Johnson was strapped to a backboard and ferried to a waiting ambulance.
Hoffman said Red Cross training he received years ago as a lifeguard helped him react quickly and calmly. Johnson is still recovering from his head injuries. “I’m just thankful they were there that day. They saved my life,” he told the Red Cross.
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.
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