Storytime..,,,,,,,, Yesterday after a long day of paddling, I ran into my buddy who looked like he was itching to paddle. I offered to run the canyon, staircase or a lower five.We opted for a lower five Sarah ran our shuttle
At the put-in there were several other groups getting ready, so Micah and I quickly got ready and into the water in front of everyone. As we worked our way down having a great joy lap between the two last rapids juicer and crunch, Micah surfed, a small wave and I eddied out right.
As I sat in the eddie a car traveling southbound on Highway 55 came off the road Karine down the bank smashed into a rock flipped over and landed in the North Fork upside down in an Eddie in about 2-3 feet of water.
I instantly ferried across below the car and attained up and around as I came around the back of the car I could hear someone banging from inside car trying to get out. I jumped out of my kayak, threw it up on the rocks with my paddle, raced to the car grab the back door handle and yanked it as hard as I could to pull it through the sand looking in the car it was very dark and full of smoke from the air bags. as I reached around I finally felt a hand and grabbed hold and yanked the man out. he then informed me there was a disabled woman with him, at that time as I came around the back of the car Micah had gotten there and out of his kayak. I opened the back door and saw the woman’s head, barely above the water asking for help, I held her chin, keeping her head above water. She was pinned between the two seat backs, Micah open the front door and I told him to find the seat back lever once he pulled it I was able to lift the seat flat or up out of the way. And then grabbed the woman’s head pushed it underwater as Micah grabbed her feet and we pulled /pushed her out. We were then able to get her out of the water and up onto some rocks about this time. A few bystanders up on the road were there Micah instructed them to call 911. Then the other kayakers we saw at the put in. Started showing up we had about 12 to 15 Kayakers, One being a Doctor and she was able to take charge and stabilize the lady and start assessing her condition, a raft outfitter on Highway 55 had a raft table we used as a backboard. Forrest service Law enforcement and 2 police sheriffs had made it on scene. We were able to strap the lady on the backboard and bucket line her up the rocky steep bank and get her up to the road. Once we got her to the road, the ambulance had shown up. We then paddled down to banks to a nervously anxious Sarah. We then just decide to go eat at the Shame, Soak in the Hot springs. And camp one more night.
Sarah and I went and look today at the spot before coming home the pictures from today the car land upside down just down steam of the big rock in river.
I was able to get to them quickly 30 sec, the water was shallow and the car landed on sand, the doors were not locked or blocked with rocks only sand and the fact we were on the North fork,
If any of those thing has been different not sure they would have gotten out in time.
