By Khalida Sarwari
The California Highway Patrol today rescued an injured 63-year-old man at a shoreline near Myers Grade in Sonoma County.
The Sonoma County Fire Department requested the CHP’s Golden Gate Division Air Operations Unit Helicopter 30 to hoist a man who had reportedly fallen off his surfboard and onto a rock at a beach near state Highway 1, according to the CHP.
Officers responded around 12:10 p.m. and dropped a rescue bag near the man. After fire crews helped the man get into the bag, the helicopter returned to lift him to a landing zone where fire and medics tended to him.
The man was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial hospital to receive treatment for a fractured vertebra.
Officer Mitchell, who participated in the rescue effort, said the hoist operation was quick and effective.
“It would have taken eight crewmembers approximately two hours to carry the subject to the roadway,” he said. “We can move personnel and patients in and out of very difficult places safely and quickly.”