The speed and skill of law enforcement agents United States Coast Guard (USCG) allowed rescue alive a man stranded in the mangroves of Anclote Island, west of Florida, after his jet ski ran aground this Sunday.
The crew of a helicopter from the USCG Clearwater Air Station was able to remove the man from the dense vegetation, in an operation that was broadcast on the agency's social networks.
The man showed signs of dehydration and was immediately taken to the hospital for medical evaluation, reported a statement of the USCG.
The person, whose identity was not revealed, told authorities that his jet ski had run aground in the mangroves and he was unable to refloat it. According to his testimony, “he tried to go look for his friends on the other side of the island to help him, but he got tired.”
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg agents located him after they received an alert from Pasco County Sheriff's marine unit deputies that the driver of a jet ski was overdue at approximately 7 p.m.
A friend of the survivor was the one who notified that the man was in the area and had been delayed an hour.
"The Pasco County Sheriff's helicopter located the person in the mangroves and dispatched us," said Lt. Garrett Hendrickson, Jayhawk helicopter pilot from USCG Air Station Clearwater. "Through our collaboration with the Sheriff's Office and the regular training we conducted together, the survivor was rescued safely and quickly."
The crews of a USCG Sand Key Station boat and the Pasco County Sheriff's helicopter also assisted in the search, the statement said.
Last April, three fishermen were rescued by the Coast Guard after his boat sank near Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys.
The crew of the Dolphin MH-65 helicopter from the USCG Air Station traveled to the area of the accident after receiving a call from a good Samaritan, who warned that the longliner Mrs. Sandy was sinking.
The US Coast Guard quite frequently faces rescue operations, in many cases of irregular immigrants whose boats shipwreck near the coast of Florida or are stranded in its keys.
The previous Monday, the USCG located and intercepted a boat with 15 Cuban immigrants on board, approximately 16 miles southeast of Anguilla Cay, in Bahamas waters, when they were heading to the coast of Florida. One of the rafters was unconscious when they were rescued and died, despite receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation for half an hour.
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