Dramatic water rescue on Lake Washington saves two adults, toddler
May 20, 2022, 1:56 PM | Updated: 3:21 pm
High winds and rough seas caused an inflatable boat to capsize on Lake Washington near the I-90 bridge on Wednesday, leading to a dramatic water rescue of two men and a toddler.
Thankfully, the Seattle Police Department’s Harbor Patrol was called to rescue the boaters. The video, shared by the @SeattlePD Twitter account, is dramatic and harrowing.
During yesterday’s blustery weather, officers with the Harbor Patrol were called to rescue some boaters trapped on Lake Washington. The full video can be found here: https://t.co/B18DZdaDAO pic.twitter.com/kUSWQY05pz
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) May 20, 2022
Two adult males and a 2-year-old infant, with no life jackets, rode in a rubber raft and were driven away from the Stan Sayres boat dock by high winds and rough seas. Officers Ken Turner and Kyle Galbraith discussed their dramatic rescue during Friday’s Gee and Ursula Show on KIRO Newsradio.
“When it happens, you don’t really have a whole lot of time to think about ‘hey, you know, I could drown here,'” explains Turner. “You just kind of jump into action.”
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Before the Harbor Patrol made it to the raft, several motorboats, containing civilians and firefighters, launched from a local rowing club to assist in the search. Soon after SPD Harbor arrived, the raft sank, forcing both adults and the 2-year-old infant into the water.
Patrol officers were able to assist one of the adult raft occupants onto the bridge, while the other adult and toddler were rescued onto the Harbor Patrol boat.
Galbraith emphasized that conditions can be deceiving out in the middle of the lake.
“Once you start getting out in the middle of the lake, that’s when it starts getting bad, and they probably just got out there and had no idea what they’re getting into,” explained Galbraith.
Both Turner and Galbraith noted they could have used a third person to assist with the rescue, but were thrilled they were able to save everyone.
“It’s a good feeling when you’re able to save someone,” said Turner.
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