Coast Guard helicopter and boat crews rescued two men after they ran aground on the Galveston, Texas, North Jetty Monday morning in an accident that ejected one of them and injured both.
A nearby fisherman heard the 20-foot-boat crash and notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston about 1:30 a.m.
Watch the well-executed nighttime rescue.
“This is a prime example that if you see something happen, report it. The two good Samaritans were vital in assisting and reporting,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Kathryn Carlin, who assisted in the rescues from Coast Guard Station Galveston. “If they hadn’t reported it, we would have never known.”
Coast Guard Station Galveston launched two response boats and located the men. Both suffered multiple cuts, and it was reported that one man had a broken arm and the other had a broken leg.
Three crewmen and two good Samaritans administered first aid while waiting for a Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin aircrew to arrive. The aircrew hoisted the injured men and met emergency medical personnel at Scholes International Airport in Galveston. The men were taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston for treatment.
“I’m pretty happy two people are going home to their kids,” Carlin said.
