Rescuers from the Sonoma County Sheriff's helicopter and local fire departments saved an injured woman kayaker who had become pinned against a log Friday afternoon in the Russian River near Healdsburg.
The woman came out of her boat and became stuck between the log and the current in a narrow channel about a mile upriver from the Rio Lindo Academy. She remained trapped there for roughly two hours as two fellow kayakers couldn't free her and had to hike to the nearby academy to contact emergency personnel.
Firefighters from the Healdsburg and Windsor fire departments responded about 3:40 p.m., said Central Fire's Acting Battalion Chief Michael Elson. A member of the Sheriff's helicopter crew rescued the woman while attached to the helicopter's long line. The chopper brought her to waiting firefighters and an ambulance crew.
The woman, a San Francisco resident who was not identified, was cold and had suffered injured ribs but was in good spirits, Elson said. She was taken for treatment to Healdsburg District Hospital.
Healdsburg Fire rescue swimmers retrieved her kayak.
The Russian River's current didn't appear substantial Friday, Elson said, "but when that river narrows in those deep channels, it's very impressive."
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