Off-duty firefighter rescues woman from fast South Fork current near North Bend
February 4, 2013 · 2:26 PM
A 53-year-old woman was rescued Friday afternoon, Feb. 1, after she got caught up in the current of the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River. She was hanging on to a log when off-duty Snoqualmie firefighter Brian Busby reached her.
King County's marine unit was dispatched when a witness reported seeing a woman in the river near the Snoqualmie Golf Course.
Busby had been walking along the river when he heard her screaming for help. Busby is a swiftwater rescue volunteer, but he had no gear with him. He walked out to her on a downed tree and grabbed her by the backpack, holding on until more help came.
Rescuers estimate the woman was in the river for about 30 minutes. She was taken to an Issaquah hospital, and is expected to recover.
It's not clear how the woman ended up in the river, but authorities say she might have been trying to cross the river to a homeless encampment on the other side.
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