Daring Chopper Rescue
By: Ray Doughty
Updated: August 18, 2010
A 15-year-old girl who fell off a cliff into Washington's Skokomish River was rescued in dramatic fashion Tuesday afternoon.
It happened on a hike with several other people in the Skokomish River Canyon under the Steel Bridge, which is 450 feet high.
The girl was suffering from injuries and hypothermia.
DNR Wildfire teams answered the call for help.
They needed every bit of muscle to pull the young victim out.
When the Whidbey Island Navy helicopter arrived, the team carefully reviewed the scene and did what most witnesses couldn't believe - they went under the High Steel Bridge.
With just feet to spare on each side of the blades, the crew hovered over the river than sent their rescuer into the water.
Nervous moments passed before the victim and rescuer wildly spinning in the crosswinds were elevated into the helicopter.
With the family of the victim watching, the pilot backed the helicopter out of the narrow, wind-filled canyon and safely pulled up.
