COAST GUARD CONDUCTS MULTIPLE RESCUES OFF OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND

EDITORS NOTE: Video of the helicopter rescue can be found HERE

BALTIMORE — Coast Guard crews rescued two boaters in two separate cases off Ocean City Thursday afternoon.

At approximately 12:30 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region received notification from the 90-foot vessel Instigator of a 64-year-old male suffering from a possible heart attack.

A Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., MH-60 aircrew was diverted from training to rendezvous with the vessel almost 45 miles off Ocean City. At approximately 1:30 p.m., the aircrew hoisted the man from the vessel and brought him to Peninsula Regional Hospital in Salisbury in stable condition.

Sector Maryland-NCR watchstanders received a second radio call at 12:40 p.m., from the fishing vessel Nordic Pride of a passenger experiencing pain near his kidneys since 2 a.m.

A rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Ocean City, with Ocean City EMS aboard, was launched. At 2:24 p.m., the boatcrew arrived at the vessel's location 17 miles off Ocean City. The boater was brought aboard and taken back to the Coast Guard station and transferred to awaiting EMS in stable condition.

"It was great to see this level of teamwork within the Sector Maryland-NCR command center," said Chief Petty Officer Matthew Simmons, command duty officer, Sector Maryland-NCR. "Working with our watch team while they managed multiple cases, both requiring extensive logistics and unit responses was impressive. Their efforts were instrumental in getting these two patients safely and expeditiously evacuated and transported to the proper medical facilities."