Woman and two young children in SUV rescued from chilly lake near Shelton
Mar 15, 2026, 10:26 AM | Updated: Mar 27, 2026, 12:02 pm
An ambulance crew from Mason County Fire & EMS stands at the ready to transport a woman and two young children to the hospital after their SUV plunged into Lake Isabella near Shelton Saturday. (Photo: Mason County Sheriff's Dept.)
(Photo: Mason County Sheriff's Dept.)
A rescue operation may have saved three lives after a woman and two young children in an SUV plunged into an icy-cold lake in Mason County Saturday.
911 callers reported an SUV had gone down a boat ramp at Lake Isabella, near Shelton.
Deputies arrived and found the vehicle.
It came to rest about 25 yards from shore.
They say a female driver and two young kids were inside.
Deputies immediately launched rescue efforts.
A passerby who saw what was going on also jumped in the water to help.
They were able to get the woman and children out.
Medics from Central Mason Fire & EMS transported all three to a hospital to be checked out.
Their conditions have not been released.
It’s unknown how that vehicle ended up in the water.
The Washington State Patrol is investigating.
Staff members of the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington State Parks Department also assisted with the rescue.
The incident was the second time a vehicle ended up in water in Mason County over the weekend.
On Friday evening, around 7:30 p.m. Mason County deputies assisted the state patrol after a man in a sedan somehow drove off State Route 3 and plummeted into Cranberry Creek, about eight miles northeast of Shelton.
The driver was able to get out of the car on his own.
He was not injured.
A driver who plummeted into Cranberry Creek Friday, about eight miles northeast of Shelton, was able to exit his sedan on his own and was not hurt. (Photo: Mason County Sheriff’s Dept.)
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Response Team (SORT) called in a tow truck and helped the truck’s driver pull the sedan out of the water.
It was not an easy task.
Swift water conditions forced them to take extra safety precautions and use specialized response resources during the recovery operation.
Officials reported no injuries during the vehicle recovery.
They also believe there was limited environmental impact to the creek.
The Washington State Department of Ecology was notified of the incident and officials will determine whether any fluids from the vehicle damaged the creek’s habitat.
