Rotary Golf 2024

Swift water prompts swift rescue

by | Apr 24, 2019 | Latest

In a coordinated effort Saturday, April 20, Wylie Police and Wylie Fire-Rescue rescued a man who was trapped in strong water currents beneath the East Fork Trinity River bridge downstream of the Lake Lavon dam spillway.

A 9-1-1 emergency call was received at 4:01 p.m. reporting that a man was trapped in water below the bridge and police and fire officers were immediately dispatched to the scene.

The man, whose identity was not available, and his son were fishing from the bank when the man fell in the water and was swept downstream, Assistant Fire Chief Brandon Blythe said.

Arriving first, WPD Officer Sam Shipley went into the water and coached the man to hang on to the bridge until further help arrived.

When WF-R Battalion Chief Charles Brown arrived, he threw a life preserver and safety line to Shipley and directed the officer how to float the equipment to the victim, which he successfully accomplished.

A WF-R swiftwater rescue team arrived and entered the water to assist Shipley in the rescue. Blythe reported that only 17 minutes elapsed from the emergency call until the victim was out of the water.

For more stories like this, see the April 24 issue or subscribe online.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]

Subscribe RH Love

0 Comments

Order photos

Related News

Collin County no stranger to severe storms

Collin County no stranger to severe storms

The tornado that hit Copeville and other parts of Collin County in 2015 did extensive damage. File Art The Federal Emergency Management Agency predicts Collin County has a high risk of tornadoes this year, but that’s nothing new. For starters, more tornadoes have been...

read more
Community discusses disputed development

Community discusses disputed development

Volunteers of Communities & Creeks United hand out yard signs opposing a high density development between Parker and Murphy. Bob Wieland/C&S Media  There’s no longer any question as to who is building a densely packed housing community just west of Southfork...

read more
Police chief talks equipment, personnel requests

Police chief talks equipment, personnel requests

Police Chief Anthony Henderson provided an overview of the department’s proposed five-year plan and talked about staffing issues at a city council work session last week. The police department recently earned the Texas Police Chiefs Best Practices Accreditation, said...

read more
Indian dancers entertain, teach library crowd

Indian dancers entertain, teach library crowd

Tejas Dance students Shrujana Kumar and Mahi Devappa performing at Smith Library Thursday, March 14. Jeremy Hallock/The Wylie News Parents and children showed up at the Smith Public Library last week to watch and learn about classical Indian dance. ...

read more
Plan, prepare now for tornado season

Plan, prepare now for tornado season

This Farmersville mobile home landed on CR 697 due to straight line winds in eastern Collin County in 2019. Courtesy Farmersville FD The three-month Texas tornado “season” begins in April and a new analysis ranks Collin County near the top of the list of 100 most...

read more
Experts discuss fentanyl at WISD event

Experts discuss fentanyl at WISD event

Wylie Police Detective Joshua Rountree, right,shows parents what fentanyl looks like at last week’s seminar held at Burnett Junior High. Jeremy Hallock/The Wylie News Wylie ISD families and community members learned of the dangers of fentanyl, vaping and social media...

read more
Mural will be preserved

Mural will be preserved

Artist Roger Nitz at the mural he painted in 2012 in downtown Wylie facing Olde City Park. The mural, located at 104 S. Ballard Ave., is painted on a building that will soon be razed.  Jeremy Hallock/The Wylie News The mural that has been welcoming visitors at the...

read more
House members helped by governor

House members helped by governor

Three Texas House members from Collin County apparently survived Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to punish them for supporting his impeachment. Another has been forced into a GOP primary runoff with two Paxton-backed challengers. Paxton, who was acquitted by the...

read more
NASA engineer from Wylie wins prestigious award

NASA engineer from Wylie wins prestigious award

Nahum Alem received the Modern-Day Technology Leader Award at the 2024 BEYA STEM Digital Twin Experience (DTX) Conference held in Baltimore last month. Courtesy art An aerospace engineer from Wylie has won one of the industry’s most important honors in science,...

read more
Order photos