Police Elaborate on River Rescue
Saturday, June 9, 2012 @ 7:06 AM
Prince George, B.C. – Prince George RCMP have provided additional information about last evening’s rescue of two women from the Fraser River off Fort George Park.
Corporal Craig Douglass says at 5:09pm police received the first of several 9-1-1 callsdescribing two females that somehow ended up down a steep embankment and into the Fraser River. Three plain clothes members of the Prince George RCMP’s Crime Reduction Team and two General Duty officers were the first to arrive on the scene. Once on scene, officers located a female in the water struggling to keep hold of the eroding bank. A second female was observed in the water a few metres down stream holding on to vegetation.
The officers utilized the winch from the SUV police vehicle and lowered one of the plainclothes officers down the approximate 15 foot embankment to the first female. The officer secured the 16 year old female to the winch, while attempting to control her panicked grabbing and scratching.
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Prince George Fire / Rescue attended the scene and provided assistance securing the second female, 22 years old. Both Prince George residents were successfully removed from the high, fast-flowing river water and transported by the BC Ambulance Service to the University Hospital of Northern BC for treatment of hypothermia and minor injuries. One officer suffered minor injuries but did not need medical treatment.After questioning witnesses, police believe the two females were sitting with their feet over the embankment when they fell in. Both were severely intoxicated.
The Prince George RCMP would like to remind the public to use extreme caution when around any of our rivers. Even a little slip could be devastating. The City of Prince George has declared a State of Local Emergency due to the high levels of the Fraser River along the shores of Prince George. Go to www.princegeorge.ca for more information.
Comments
Being “highly intoxicated” isn’t a smart move either.
drunk in public, isnt that an offence? are they being charged?
Luckily the RCMP is around to save people like this from their own stupidity.
Kudos to Search and Rescue and the RCMP for this rescue…they get a lot of crap from people for the bad things that happen, time to give them a thumbs up for saving those two girls from themselves
I’m with billposer and fed….why were they not charged with being intoxicated in public? Seems like the perfect penalty for the drama they caused?
X2 to all the above comments and, it occurs to me that the officer’s “minor wounds” were probably due to a “highly intoxicated”, freaked out female’s claws.
The cops deserve apologies and thanks from the chicks when they sober up.
metalman.
Anyone ever here of a woman getting charged or jailed of public drunkenness, just wondering?
seamutt: Yes, they get charged and jailed all the time, same as guys but you can’t squeeze blood out of a stone, so a fine wouldn’t do any good. A few hours in a cold jail cell is what they get.
And yes, thank you to the police who responded so quickly and expertly! That goes for Fire/Rescue too. Great job done very well.
Obviously not a credit to their genders.
If that situation would happen to someone who could swim, was not intoxicated, then they should not panic, hug the shore for 500 metres or so and get ashore at the slew where there is no unclimbable bank.
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