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Waddell rescue
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Post new topic   Reply to topic    Northwest Kiteboarding -> Gorge / Portland / Oregon Coast
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WindSki

Since 14 Dec 2012
402 Posts
Portland
Obsessed



PostTue Sep 17, 13 3:05 pm     Reply with quote

Wo, this is one hell of a story

Thank you for this post

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Gman

Since 11 Feb 2006
4907 Posts
Portland
Unstrapped



PostTue Sep 17, 13 3:10 pm     Reply with quote

doubledogdare wrote:
Great to hear a that Steve is doing well!!! I was one of guys helping with the rescue.

Here's what I observed:

I was at my truck getting ready to take my wetsuit off after a great session when I saw a bunch of people running on the beach. I looked up and saw Jason and several others shaking Steve upside down and then they started with CPR. When I got to them I observed what looked like good CPR so I ran back to my truck to call 911. BTW I am a respiratory therapist at a trauma center and I do CPR often.

There is no cell service at Waddell so I drove up to Big Creek lumber yard and called there. A ranger nearby heard over the scanner what was going on and headed to the beach. She and I arrived back to the beach at about same time, by now Steve had regained his heart rhythm and was breathing. I grabbed the medical bag from the ranger which had oxygen and ran it down to Steve. From about that moment on he began mumbling and moving a bit more. Cal Fire arrived about 15 min later then after another 10 the paramedics arrived. By that time Steve was talking. A few of us helped carry him up to the rig that took him to the chopper that took him to Stanford.

-mike

BTW here's an excellent example of why we all need to learn CPR!!


that is awesome Thumb's Up


- didn't realize you want to do old style CPR on near drowning victims - I'm getting re-certified!

http://www.thesurvivaldoctor.com/2012/07/06/cpr-and-drowning/

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doubledogdare

Since 31 Aug 2005
11 Posts
Cali
 



PostTue Sep 17, 13 3:17 pm     Reply with quote

Here's a shot of them loading him onto the chopper!


And another of him taking off.

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doubledogdare

Since 31 Aug 2005
11 Posts
Cali
 



PostTue Sep 17, 13 3:26 pm     Reply with quote

Gman wrote:
doubledogdare wrote:
Great to hear a that Steve is doing well!!! I was one of guys helping with the rescue.

Here's what I observed:

I was at my truck getting ready to take my wetsuit off after a great session when I saw a bunch of people running on the beach. I looked up and saw Jason and several others shaking Steve upside down and then they started with CPR. When I got to them I observed what looked like good CPR so I ran back to my truck to call 911. BTW I am a respiratory therapist at a trauma center and I do CPR often.

There is no cell service at Waddell so I drove up to Big Creek lumber yard and called there. A ranger nearby heard over the scanner what was going on and headed to the beach. She and I arrived back to the beach at about same time, by now Steve had regained his heart rhythm and was breathing. I grabbed the medical bag from the ranger which had oxygen and ran it down to Steve. From about that moment on he began mumbling and moving a bit more. Cal Fire arrived about 15 min later then after another 10 the paramedics arrived. By that time Steve was talking. A few of us helped carry him up to the rig that took him to the chopper that took him to Stanford.

-mike

BTW here's an excellent example of why we all need to learn CPR!!


that is awesome Thumb's Up


- didn't realize you want to do old style CPR on near drowning victims - I'm getting re-certified!

http://www.thesurvivaldoctor.com/2012/07/06/cpr-and-drowning/


I don't think the putting him upside down is in the CPR guidelines!! But obviously it didn't hurt in Steve's case. The actual act of doing compressions will actually squeeze any fluid out of his lungs. The new CPR guidelines are C A B. (compressions, airway, breathing). NOT A B C anymore!!

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cosmodog

Since 06 Oct 2005
201 Posts

Stoked



PostTue Sep 17, 13 3:34 pm     Reply with quote

Awesome job guys!

I have heard thru the grapevine that Steve is doing OK. He writes "My energy is very low/fortunately my memory ok"!

One note about cell service at Waddell - Sprint gets great signal there (even 3g).

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4Stringer/KipWinger

Since 27 Apr 2005
541 Posts
Hood River
Addicted



PostTue Sep 17, 13 6:13 pm     Reply with quote

Texted with him today discussing my 13'/14' ski needs. He's razor sharp as ever.
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Nak

Since 19 May 2005
4199 Posts
Camas
XTreme Poster

CGKA Member


PostTue Sep 17, 13 6:34 pm     Reply with quote

Very, very cool!

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Windian

Since 28 Apr 2008
880 Posts
Newport, OR
NEWPORT OG



PostTue Sep 17, 13 8:08 pm     Reply with quote

Amazing efforts by the rescuers to revive a drowned person, I just completed by First Aid/CPR refresher class the other day and hopefully never have to use the learned skills, but glad I have them in my tool bag.

Idea Idea Idea

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bustingbladder

Since 12 Jul 2006
386 Posts
Seattle
Obsessed



PostTue Sep 17, 13 8:21 pm     Reply with quote

Thanks for sharing. So awesome to hear the positive outcome!
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TWIN-FIN

Since 24 May 2006
805 Posts
Portland, OR
Hot Monkey



PostTue Sep 17, 13 8:47 pm     Reply with quote

Our Kite community is awesome.
Watching out for each other, on the water, stranger or not, is one of the greatest aspects of kitting that really makes me proud to be part of the tribe.

I am also stoked to her of a positive out come from an tragedy that could happen to any of us at any time.

You Cali boys rip.

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barfly

Since 31 Mar 2005
1210 Posts
Seaside
BRACKISH



PostTue Sep 17, 13 9:37 pm     Reply with quote

Amazing, what an awesome conclusion to what could have been tragic. Nice job boys for recognizing the situation and moving fast!

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Diggy

Since 25 Nov 2006
342 Posts
Gorge to Coast
Obsessed



PostTue Sep 17, 13 10:32 pm     Reply with quote

Great Job!
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dangerD

Since 27 Jun 2005
223 Posts
Bingen Heights
Stoked



PostWed Sep 18, 13 6:06 am     Reply with quote

CPR class is great and everyone should take it again, but sadly you will learn very little about near drownings. There doesn't seem to be enough attention given to them. It is very common and often there is isn't even any water in the lungs! Think- "mammalian diving relex" Now Im no doctor, but my father was, and I did play one in a school play.
In my 11 years kiting, I luckily havent seen it but I did loose a buddy windsurfing... On the river though, I've seen it firsthand. As the Husum falls photographer for the last ten years, I've seeen a few "face down floaters" as we affectionately call them. I dove in after a floater a few years back, and swam him to shore, gave him the heimlich to pushout any water, nothing so I smacked him across the face. His eyes dialated in and out, and then he puked up this white fluid that looked like it came from a zombie movie! Awesome! It happened again this season when I wasnt there. But luckily somebody caught it on film! http://www.katu.com/news/local/River-guide-jumps-into-action-to-save-unconscious-rafter-White-Salmon-216079771.html?tab=video&c=y Please excuse the owner of this company. He talks too much and takes shitty photos Very Happy
My point- get the water out of the lungs and smack 'em around a bit before you start CPR. Putting the victim over your shoulder like a sack o beans works great for clearing out water, if you're strong enough

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jasonDWolfe

Since 19 Sep 2013
1 Posts

New Member



PostThu Sep 19, 13 9:43 am     Reply with quote

Hello

Firstly, I just want to give proper credit to Nick and the other guys who sprinted down the beach to help me get Steve up out of the water last Thursday. As Nick was saying Steve was extremely heavy (about 220 dry I think his wife said) and wet, lungs full of water, saturated, and being pulled by the outwash... the sand seemed to suck him in and I remember miring up to mid-calf in it. When I started pulling on him by myself I'm not sure I moved him more than just inches until the other guys started pulling too. If I had been alone this would have been a different story. When I came in on the last wave and suddenly ran out of water and crashed into the sand it got my adrenaline going. The sand wasn't supposed to be there. I was already breathing heavy from riding the wave in so when I saw Steve and sprinted up the beach with my kite toward him I started getting exhausted pretty fast. Dropping the kite and then going back out again I remember my arms and legs feeling like they were failing. That's one of the things I'll never forget. Like punching in a dream. Go out and try to sprint as if someone's life depends on it for about 30 seconds and you'll see what I mean. The whole experience gave me a bit of tunnel vision and shock that lasted a couple days. Didn't sleep really at all the first night. I left out a lot of details (as others have) about the "organic" nature of a body in that form when I tried to give my first account of what I remembered. Again Nick, didn't mean to short you on credit for helping carry him up the beach. My nightmare started when I saw him and I felt alone in the ordeal for what felt like an eternity before you guys got there. I honestly don't remember anyone's face but Sargon, but I know you were there. In reality it was probably just seconds before you guys joined me and helped pull him further out of the water. Everything felt like much longer than it probably was... that's the nature of adrenaline response. I do have EMT training, CPR training, time on an ambulance and working in the emergency room when I was in college, but that was a long time ago. Until Sargon identified himself as a doctor I was pretty scared that I was the only one who knew what to do and had to direct the response to save Steve's life. That's a heavy feeling and it scared the fucking shit out of me. I write software for a living, I'm no rescue or medical professional. Thank god others had training too. I was really proud of our kiting/windsurfing community after it was over.

One important point that I must comment on because I feel it's a matter of life and death in the future. Steve was in the 5th stage of drowning, clinical death. His pupils were dilated, no pulse, no respirations, his mouth/face was covered in foam, his skin was gray. According to my research online and conversations with a doctor, when someone has reached this point, the flap of skin that closes to protect the lungs from entry of water generally fails. I was shocked at how much water was in there. This isn't the first time I've been involved in a drowning rescue. When I was 21, in 1996, I unfortunately had to pull Pascale Hickman from the Coosa river in Alabama after a canoeing accident went bad. This was the reason I got the EMT license in the first place. Because of this experience and the traumatic feelings around it, and the fact that I spend a lot of time in the water, I tried to learn as much as I could about drowning rescue. Anyway, to the point. I find it really frustrating that someone suggested that it was the wrong thing to do to hold Steve upside down so that the water could come out. If you saw how much came out you'd realize that doing compressions or breathing for him would have been fruitless if even possible until he was cleared. I did this because I had seen it before, and knew how much water could be in there. Like I said before, I have entry level EMT training, I'm not a doctor, so I speak more from experience than advanced medical training. Even after draining most of the water we had to roll him sideways a couple of times to let more drain out before we could continue compressions and breathing. Sargon did the breathing and suffered most of the gross part of that water coming out, I don't know who it was that did most of the compressions.

Lastly, I don't think what I did or what anyone else involved did was necessarily heroic. I think most everyone involved feels the same way. To me a hero is someone who risks their life to save another. Fire fighters run into burning buildings on a daily basis, Cops put their life in danger daily, soldiers face IEDs and bullets, Coast guard divers... the list goes on. We were never in danger personally. I've never intended to get a pat on the back or get credit for a "heroic" act. Even though he lived I'm still tracing my steps of how I could have done better. I'm still worried about Steve and the complications he may suffer, especially hearing from his wife that he was back in the hospital again Tuesday night. I'm trying to focus on the good parts of this, but I'm haunted by the experience. I hope it's something most people never have to see or experience.

Thanks again for the comments I've received and the hep that saved his life so that we didn't have to retrace our steps infinitely. This whole thing has been very humbling. Life is short and when it ends there's no band that plays and no really big deal. It can happen in an instant. We've got to enjoy every day and look out for each other when we're out there.

If there is anyone else that is offended that their name isn't mentioned in my account of what happened please speak up and I'll make sure you're properly credited as I'm asked about this in the future.

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Scribble

Since 18 Nov 2005
636 Posts
NoPo
Addicted



PostThu Sep 19, 13 3:02 pm     Reply with quote

Awesome! I need to get recertified asap.

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Sella

Since 21 Apr 2007
1794 Posts
Doin' The Dalles
FLY'IN HIGH PIE GUY



PostThu Sep 19, 13 3:48 pm     Reply with quote

Wow. Jason your recap gave me chills and exhaustion all at once. Team effort for Steve without doubt. Well done to all involved. Thumb's Up

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Diggy

Since 25 Nov 2006
342 Posts
Gorge to Coast
Obsessed



PostThu Sep 19, 13 8:34 pm     Reply with quote

Jason, Thank You for the recap. When I read about holding him upside down to clear the first time I certainly wondered if that made the difference.

IMO, every one of us should be CPR certified as it was a team effort which made the day, and saved the life.



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