Rescue crews pull unconscious teen from Sandy River in OR, girl flown to hospital

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    GRESHAM, OR (KPTV ) — Gresham Firefighters are hailing the actions of two camp counselors from the YMCA Camp Collins in Gresham as heroic.

Around 2:00 p.m. a call came in of a possible drowning by a camper in Sandy River. Firefighters said that a 14-year-old girl was floating the river as part of the camp’s programming when she fell off her tube and was pulled under the water.

The girl’s foot got caught in a strainer and that’s what kept her under the water, according to Lieutenant Ryan Miller, of the Gresham Fire Department. She was wearing a life jacket.

Miller says the two camp counselors gave her the best possible chance of survival.

“When she was caught in that strainer one of them actually risked her life and got in and pulled her out of that strainer and that’s not something that we would even normally do because it’s so life threatening,” he said.

Miller said when he and the Water Rescue Team arrived, the counselors had already pulled her to shore.

“When we ended up getting there, they already had her essentially rescued from the swift water,” he said.

Miller said she was under water for three to four minutes. Counselors gave her CPR until the fire department arrived.

“They gave her the maximum chance to survive because they pulled her out in under five minutes because they were right there, got her out of the strainer and started CPR right away,” Miller said.

He added that their quick actions and thinking was crucial.

“That gave her an excellent chance to survive and I’m very proud of their efforts and CPR and they should be recognized,” he said.

Miller said the camp followed all water safety precautions and urged anyone playing in or around water to always wear a life jacket.

“The ideal ones are the ones that fit like a vest and you can zip them up and they fit snug and tight and you can still breathe but they’re neoprene and they fit snug and tight,” he said.

Miller said the Sandy River flow is low right now, but that particular spot was fast and full of strainers.

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