A Marine Corps HH-46E prepares to take off from MCAS Cherry Point. USMC phot by Lance Cpl. Santiago G. Colon Jr.
Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector North Carolina received notification of a 42-year-old woman who had injured herself during a fall when a wave hit the boat she was on. The woman reportedly had no feeling from the waist down.
A Marine Corps HH-46E Sea Knight helicopter crew, call sign Pedro, from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point was launched to the scene while a rescue boat crew from Coast Guard Station Emerald Isle was dispatched to the last known coordinates of the pleasure craft. The rescue boat crew arrived on scene at 10:19 a.m. and stabilized the patient. Pedro arrived on scene, lifted the injured woman aboard and transported her to Onslow County Memorial Hospital.
“We were able to successfully assist in the air lift with Pedro,” said Petty Officer Michael Nunnery, the coxswain aboard the Emerald Isle rescue boat. “Everything ran smoothly and efficiently without any incident. Pedro’s rapid response enabled us to quickly provide aid to the patient in distress.”
