SOUTH BEND, Wash. (AP) — The Coast Guard says a man who was pulled unresponsive from the waters of Willapa Bay after his fishing boat overturned this weekend survived thanks to CPR efforts by rescuers.
Another man who was onboard has not been found.
Petty Officer Kelly Parker says the 44-year-old captain of the 29-foot Ella Ann called for help Saturday when the vessel capsized. A helicopter crew from Astoria, Ore., arrived to find him waving his arms in the water, but by the time rescuers reached him, he was floating unresponsive and not breathing.
The crew hoisted him into the helicopter, and two crew members brought back his vital signs. One of the crew members who performed CPR was Petty Officer Christopher Austin, who had just been qualified as a rescue swimmer two days earlier and was standing duty for the first time.
Parker says the fishing boat’s captain is expected to be released from the hospital soon.
