State police helicopter rescues 12 stranded in river

A dozen people were rescued from the raging waters of the Shenandoah River in the late-night hours of June 21 when two Maryland State Police helicopters appeared out of the darkness and hoisted them to safety.

The stranded victims included 10 children and two adults, ranging in age from 4 to 41. The raging waters and large number of rocks in the river prevented responding emergency personnel from executing a boat or rope line rescue. That’s when the Maryland State Police Aviation Command was called for help.

Trooper 3 from Frederick was dispatched to the scene with pilot Russ Zullick and flight paramedic Sgt. Donald Lehman on board. When the crew arrived on scene, they called for Trooper 5 from Cumberland to assist with the hoist operations. The scene was dark and dangerous, with a mountain on one side of the riverbank and trees lining the other bank and the river below.

Using a spotlight to illuminate the area, the crew of Trooper 3 began their rescues with victims clinging to a rock just one foot above the river rapids. The children were being splashed by the water and appeared to be in imminent danger of hypothermia and exposure.

Trooper 5 arrived on the scene, with the crew of pilot Scott Russell, training pilot Chris Pysz, and flight paramedic TFC Larry Levasseur. Also on board were two members of the Cumberland Fire Department HEAT Team who are trained in aerial rescues.

Both helicopters hoisted the victims to safety, and everyone survived the ordeal. It is believed the group had been rafting or tubing when the fast moving rapids caused them to become stranded on the rocks.

The MSP Aviation Command, with a fleet of 12 helicopters and two fixed wing aircraft, has transported over 130,000 patients since its inception in 1961.

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