Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard Seventeenth District

United States Coast Guard
Date: Nov. 20, 2009
Contact: (907) 487-5700 Ofc.
(907) 321-4501 Mob.
Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis
News Release

Injured logger medevaced by Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak from Ouzinkie

KODIAK, Alaska - A Coast Guard MH-60 crew delivers Scott Zimmerman, 25, to awaiting Kodiak City EMS at the Coast Guard base Friday, Nov. 20, 2009. Zimmerman sustained possible back injuries and a broken leg while logging near the village of Ouzinkie north of Kodiak Island. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis.  KODIAK, Alaska - A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevacs a man from Ouzinkie after a tree reportedly fell on him while working on the Ouzinkie runway Nov. 20, 2009. Kodiak city firefighers and EMTs received the injured man at the air station and transferred him to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Charly Hengen.  KODIAK, Alaska - A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevacs a man from Ouzinkie after a tree reportedly fell on him while working on the Ouzinkie runway Nov. 20, 2009. Kodiak city firefighers and EMTs received the injured man at the air station and transferred him to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Charly Hengen.  KODIAK, Alaska - A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevacs a man from Ouzinkie after a tree reportedly fell on him while he was working on the Ouzinkie airport runway. U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 3rd Class Charly Hengen.
Editors note: For high resolution images or to view the video please click on the corresponding photo above.
Photos and video by Petty Officer 3rd Class Charly Hengen.

KODIAK, Alaska - A logger suffering from a possible back injury and a broken leg was medevaced by the crew of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from the village of Ouzinkie on Spruce Island north of Kodiak Island to the Coast Guard base today.

Scott Zimmerman, 25, sustained injuries during a logging operation when the tree he was cutting down reportedly fell on him near the Ouzinkie airport.

Controllers at the Coast Guard Command Center in Juneau received the request for a medevac at 11:33 a.m.  The rescue helicopter was launched from Air Station Kodiak at 12:17 p.m. and arrived about 20 minutes later despite snow and poor visibility.

Upon arrival the Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Gerent, hiked out to Zimmerman's location in the forest, about a half mile from the landing site.   Zimmerman was already prepared for transport.

"When I arrived he was wrapped up in a litter with a C-coller on," said Gerent. "His co-workers and I had to hike him out of the trees about a half mile along a narrow trail to the helicopter."

Zimmerman was safely delivered to awaiting emergency medical personnel at the Coast Guard base in Kodiak at 1:35 p.m. and taken to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center for treatment.

Zimmerman's hometown is unknown.

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