By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – A crew from the Port Angeles Fire Department had the fairly unusual task Thursday of having to rescue a woman who fell and was pinned between boulders at Ediz Hook.
The woman was walking on the breakwater with her service dog when she fell and got her leg trapped between two of the large rocks.
Assistant Fire Chief Derrell Sharp says the woman was trapped for hours until someone heard her cries for help and called 911 at about 4:00pm.
“Yeah, in conversations with their she was alert and oriented. She was in pain but in good spirits, and she did indicate that she had been pinned there for three hours or more. And so, the dog remained by her side. The Pet Posse was contacted by Captain Ziegler early on, and they were fantastic. They came down, retrieved the dog while we were working to extricate the patient, and then the Pet Posse cared for her dog until she was released later last evening.”
Sharp says he has heard of a few cases of people falling and getting injured on the rocks at Ediz Hook over the years, but someone getting their legs pinned under a boulder was unusual.
He said there was no reason to think that a boulder had moved and trapped the woman, but they did take steps to make sure none moved as they worked to extricate her.
“Where she was caught, the rocks surrounding it were pretty stable. But we were able to manipulate a harness around the victim so that we were able to get some good lifting and purchase points. And then, by disentangling her leg that was pinned, we were able to just lift her out and directly onto a backboard.”
Sharp did not know the extent of the woman’s injuries.
(Photo courtesy of Jay Cline)