Man rescued from Columbia River after boat capsizes

Clark County Fire & Rescue assisted Monday after a man sailing alone on the Columbia River fell in the water when his boat capsized.

Chief John Nohr said one of the district’s fire boats was called down the river, between Goat and Martin islands, around 4:15 p.m., for a report originally from Columbia County, Ore., about a boater in distress.

The fire boat crew arrived to find crews in Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Coast Guard boats removing a man from the water.

The Coast Guard also had a helicopter fly to the scene, Nohr said. A firefighter-medic from Clark County Fire & Rescue climbed in the Coast Guard boat to provide patient care as the man was brought to shore.

The man was taken to a dock in Kalama, from where a Cowlitz County ambulance crew took him to the hospital for hypothermia treatment and further evaluation.

The patient, a 76-year-old man, was sailing along when his 15-foot sail boat capsized, throwing him into the water, Nohr said. Why the boat tipped was unavailable.

The man wore a life jacket, which helped keep him from drowning, Nohr said.

The long exposure to the water caused significant hypothermia. Nohr said the incident is a good reminder that even though temperatures may be hot, the area’s rivers are still quite cold.