BALTIMORE— The Coast Guard and a good Samaritan medevaced two mariners after one sustained injuries from their boat propeller approximately 2 miles from Tolchester Beach on Saturday.
A 29-foot Response Boat-Small boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay received notification via VHF channel 16 from a mariner stating that he had rescued two boaters from the water near Tolchester Beach.
One of the boaters had fallen overboard and the other boater jumped in the water to assist him. While assisting the boater who fell in, the second boater sustained injuries. The boatcrew from Station Curtis Bay was underway patrolling and diverted to the scene.
Upon arrival, the good Samaritan transferred both mariners to the RBS.
The boatcrew administered first aid while transiting to Tolchester Marina where Kent County EMS was waiting to transfer them to John Hopkins Hospital.
“Without the proper equipment onboard we would not have been able to assist the boaters in distress,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Valerie Foreman, the coxswain of the RBS from Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay. “We encourage boaters to not only have working radios onboard their vessels but to also know how to use them in case of an emergency. The use of channel 16 is a critical and efficient way of contacting the Coast Guard in times of distress.”