(Estherville)– We’re learning additional details into a rescue operation that took place Saturday on the West Fork of the Des Moines River in Estherville. Estherville Fire Chief and Emmet County Emergency Management Coordinator Travis Sheridan says crews were called after getting reports of a kayak that had overturned and that a child was being pulled under a log jam after the child’s life jacket got tangled in it. Sheridan says there were some logistical challenges in getting rescue crews to that part of the river…
“I instructed boats to go in at fourth street bridge, which is just outside of Estherville, and then as far north as A-17 which is called Nepple’s Bridge, and try to meet in the middle. The north boat had issues, could not head south off of that bridge because of the logjam that completely goes across the whole river. The boat that headed north off of fourth street was able to make contact about 38 minutes of the time 911 was called. The aunt of that child held onto her for all that time. There was some communication at one point that the child, that the aunt had lost the child because she was so fatigued but was able to retrieve her.”
Sheridan says rescuers were then able to unsnag the child’s life jacket…
“They were able to free her and get her on the boat with the aunt and transport up. The child was alert, basically just really cold.”
Four adults and four children at the scene were also checked over by paramedics.
Sheridan says the current was very strong, due not only to the high water levels, but also the log jams…
“And if you look at the current, it doesn’t look really bad but once you get to these logjams, it has so much force and the firefighters that were on scene working through that problem, when they got back you could tell how fatigued they were because we had to go back up the river three times to pull people off shore and bring them back down. We had to change out crews because, I mean, you’re fighting that current the whole entire time.”
Sheridan adds the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is making arrangements to remove the log jams. Sheridan expressed his gratitude to a number of agencies who assisted on the scene. He says had it not been for their quick action, the outcome likely would have been dire.
