VASHON ISLAND — A state ferry crew rescued a man who jumped or fell from the ferry Issaquah on Friday as it was pulling into Vashon Island, witnesses said, according to KOMONews.com.
KOMO’s Gregg Hersholt was aboard the ferry and watched as the crew quickly jumped into action and rescued the man within two minutes after he went into the chilly waters of Puget Sound. He said the ferry was about 100 yards from pulling into the Vashon landing when the captain came over the vessel’s public address system and announced, “Attention, please! Attention, please! Man overboard – this is not a drill.”
Hersholt said he looked out through the starboard windows and saw the man, who appeared to be middle-aged, doing the backstroke in an effort to stay afloat. Ferry crew members immediately launched an inflatable craft and sped out to him.
“They got him fished out of the water,” Hersholt reported. “He still had his glasses on and his shoes on.”
KOMO reported the crew got the man back on the ferry and began treating him for hypothermia.
Once the man was aboard the ferry, the vessel pulled in and off-loaded the passengers and their vehicles. He said the rescue only delayed the ferry by about 10 minutes.
It is unclear whether the man jumped or accidentally fell into the water.
“The ferry crew was amazing, the way they sprang into action,” Hersholt noted. “They had that guy out of there within about two minutes, and the (ferry) stopped and had to reverse engines while they pulled him out. … It was pretty dramatic to see that out there in the cold water and see how quick they were able to get that guy out.”