The following is the text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(KODIAK, Alaska) — A Coast Guard Station Valdez 45-foot response boat-medium crew with two members of the Valdez Fire Department assisted an injured 25-year-old man reportedly suffering from a head injury aboard a jet boat near Valdez on Saturday.
The Coast Guard crew transported the Valdez Fire Department emergency medical technicians to assess the injured man and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services in Valdez.
Sector Anchorage command center watchstanders received a notice from the crew of the jet boat who reported that a crewmember had suffered a head injury while the jet boat had another vessel in tow. The watchstanders then directed the launch of the RB-M to respond to the injured mariner.
“This case illustrates the great relationships we have with our local agencies,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Sheean, a watchstander at Sector Anchorage command center. “Without the assistance of the Valdez Fire Department, we would not have been able to assist the man as quickly as we did to get him to the medical care he needed.”
Weather at the time of the incident was reported as 17 mph winds and 1-foot seas.