Heroic Helicopter Hoist: Workers Saved After Falling Into Hardening Concrete

In a dramatic rescue operation, a Coast Guard aircrew successfully saved four construction workers in Taholah, Washington, who fell 40 feet into an industrial water tank following the collapse of its roof. During a roofing installation, a steel structure collapsed, resulting in the victims being trapped under debris and wet concrete.

Two Coast Guard rescue swimmers, Chief Benjamin Brown and Aviation Survival Technician Jon Claridge, were deployed into the dark, debris-laden tank in a daring operation. Authorities have reported the discovery of two of the four men who sustained critical injuries, with one individual found immobilized in curing concrete.

"The consistency resembled mud upon our arrival, and it began to solidify," Brown stated to Task & Purpose. "Emergency responders encountered a challenging situation as one patient was found lying on his back, necessitating a rescue effort to extricate him."

Rescuers operated in confined conditions, addressing injuries as they readied each individual for extraction. In a remarkable display of skill and determination, Flight Mechanic Logan Harris executed nearly a dozen precision hoists for three hours, navigating treacherous conditions marked by jagged rebar encircling the tank’s rim.

Notably, this incident marked only the second live rescue for Harris.

A crew comprising pilots Lt. Michael Travers and Lt. Michael Buhl was in the process of returning from a training flight when they received an emergency call. Emergency responders arrived on-site within 30 minutes.

“It turned out that we were already prepared,” stated Travers. “We were completely unaware of what awaited us in the skies.”

In a remarkable display of bravery and collaboration, all four workers were successfully extracted and airlifted for medical attention. Coast Guard officials described the incident as a “textbook example of courage, teamwork, and precision.”

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