Coast Guard Medevacs Fisherman in Oregon Inlet, NC

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard medevaced an 18-year-old man Friday from the 59-foot charter fishing boat Crystal Dawn from the south side of the Bonner Bridge in Oregon Inlet, N.C.

Crewmembers aboard the Crystal Dawn contacted Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet watchstanders via VHF-FM channel 16 at approximately 11 a.m., reporting a crewmember was having difficulty breathing.

The watchstanders dispatched a crew aboard a 25-foot Response Boat - Small from the station to assist.

The crew arrived on scene, transferred the man from the Crystal Dawn to the Coast Guard boat and took him to the station, where he was met by awaiting Dare County emergency medical services personnel and taken to the Outer Banks Hospital.

"Although only a 14-minute case from start to finish, this case displayed all of the elements of a successful medevac," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Steinhoff, the coxswain of the RB-S. "Excellent teamwork was displayed by the crew as they assisted the 18-year-old patient down a small and precarious Jacob's ladder to the response boat."

Submitted:
U.S. Coast Guard