The following is the text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(SEATTLE) — A Coast Guard aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore., medevaced an injured crewmember from a 623-foot cargo ship after he sustained a head injury 10 miles west of Grays Harbor, Wash., Friday.
The crewmember was reportedly conscious when transferred into the care of local emergency medical services.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River, Ore., received notification from the cargo ship Star Delta's agent requesting assistance when a crewmember injured their head after the vessel encountered a swell.
Due to heavy weather concerns, the watchstanders conducted a conference with aircrew members from Air Station Astoria and the flight surgeon. The decision was made to deploy an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew to the scene to assess the best course of action in getting the injured crewmember medevaced.
Once arriving on scene, the aircrew determined that weather conditions wouldn't be a hindrance and was able to successfully hoist the crewmember aboard the Jayhawk.
"One of the things that made this operation successful was being able to discuss, firsthand, the operational risk with the aircrew and flight surgeon," said John Dodd, command duty officer at Sector Columbia River. "Once you've openly discussed everyone's concerns, you can discuss the best courses of action, which helps an operation to go smoother."
The crewmember was brought back to Air Station Astoria and transferred to local EMS. He was taken to Columbia Medical Center in Astoria for further evaluation.
Click here to see video of the medevac.
