GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — Three people were rescued from the York River near the Coleman Bridge Monday evening, fire crews said.
According to officials, around 6:10 p.m., crews with Abingdon Volunteer Fire & Rescue in Gloucester County and the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety were dispatched to the Gloucester Point area of the York River for initial reports of a child in the water.
That report stated the child was clinging onto the Coleman Bridge while the incoming tide was causing them to get swept upriver. While headed to the scene, crews were informed that multiple people were in the river.
Prior to fire crews arriving to the scene, two people onboard a Virginia Institute of Marine Science vessel — one VIMS member and one Abingdon Volunteer Fire & Rescue member — were able to find and rescue two people from the water — one woman, believed to be in her 50s, and one other person who had entered the water in an attempt to rescue the woman. Crews said that the two people were swept upriver due to the strong tidal current.
“She was holding on the [bridge pylon] closest to the Gloucester Point side,” Incident Commander Drew Luellen said.
That’s when the first Good Samaritan jumped in to help, just as that incoming tide pushed the woman upstream.
“I guess when the guy who jumped in reached her, I don’t know if she had lost grip before he made it to her when they got there,” Luellen said. “They both lost grip because that [had] all happened. I got there pretty quick, but they were already being swept up river by the time I got there.”
Initially, the woman was the only person in distress, and then the first Good Samaritan jumped in to help, and first responders then had two people in distress.
“He got to her, and then he was basically trying to keep her above water as they were being swept upriver,” Luellen said. “He obviously did a very good job doing that.”
The mission took another turn when a second Good Samaritan jumped in to help.
“Another one jumped in,” Luellen said. “He didn’t make it that far. He basically just got swept right up to the next dock at VIMS. The lady, who was the original one in the water, she was unresponsive when they pulled her on the boat. She was breathing, but unresponsive. The other guy, he was pretty much spent, and they brought him back to the dock. The EMT took over her care while all that was going on. The other Good Samaritan that had hopped into the water had been pulled out by another one of our fire members and pulled back to the dock.”
Officials said the woman was then transferred to a local hospital and is said to be in stable condition.
Luellen, who helped with the rescue, said the woman and the two Good Samaritans are all in good shape Tuesday.
Abingdon Volunteer Fire & Rescue, the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety and VIMS helped with the rescue.
“This incident serves as a critical reminder of the dangers of swimming alone,” Luellen said, “and the importance of wearing a lifejacket near open water.”
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
