Firefighters help save woman stranded on piece of dock in Sacramento River

The Sacramento Bee, Calif. (February 28, 2007)

Feb. 28--An early morning fishing trip for a 55-year-old woman and her pit bull turned into a rescue mission for West Sacramento police and firefighters.

"She was floating down the river on a piece of dock that had broken off and was yelling for help," said fire Division Chief David Sherlock.


"She said she was fishing, but I didn't see any fishing pole. There are some things you just don't ask," Sherlock said.

West Sacramento dispatchers received a call shortly after 5 a.m. from a worker who heard a woman yelling for help in the river near South River Road and Linden Road.

Firefighters dispatched one of their boats into the water and found the woman floating on a piece of wooden dock about 15 feet by 20 feet.

The woman, whose name was not released, was wearing a life vest, was dressed in layered clothing and had a green light she used to flash at the rescue boat.

Firefighters found the woman wet and shivering. She told them she was fishing on a dock with her dog when the dock broke into two and she found herself in the water. She was able to get herself on top of the broken piece of dock, and was floating down river yelling for help.

After she was plucked from the water, she was taken to the Sacramento Yacht Club on South River Road, and from there was transported to UC Medical Center. She was expected to be treated and released.