Child among 5 thrown from overturned boat off CA. ‘Heroic bystanders’ stepped in
Five passengers, including a 6-year-old , were thrown from a boat when it overturned in rough waters along the California coast.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office got a report of an overturned boat near Tomales Point on Saturday, Oct. 18, prompting it to send its helicopter team “to the mouth of Tomales Bay,” deputies wrote in a Facebook post.
When members of the helicopter team arrived, they spotted several people in the water and “set up for a long line rescue,” deputies said.
The team then searched the ocean and coastline, spotting two passengers from the overturned boat on a remote beach, deputies said.
A video shared by deputies shows a rescuer being hoisted to the two passengers on the beach by helicopter.
The rescuer takes two trips, hooking each passenger up to a line, then hoisting them from the beach, the video shows.
As the team rescued the passengers from the beach, they learned three more passengers, including a child, “had been rescued by heroic bystanders who launched their boat from Lawson’s Landing after hearing of the incident,” according to the sheriff’s office.
After all five passengers who were aboard the overturned boat were rescued, deputies said it worked with additional agencies, and the child and two adult passengers were taken to hospitals.
“We commend the outstanding teamwork among all responding agencies and the courageous bystanders whose quick actions helped save lives that day,” deputies said.
Tomales Point is about a 60-mile drive northwest from San Francisco.
