Multiple agencies brought a 25-year-old Hammer Environmental employee to safety after he fell down an embankment Wednesday. | Photo courtesy of the Curry County Sheriff's Office

From the Curry County Sheriff's Office:

Wednesday May 31, 2023 at about 7:22am, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch received a call regarding an emergency SPOT activation that was triggered by twenty-five-year-old Brenan Waters, who is an employee with Hammer Environmental.  Waters was working in the Grassy Knob area about seven miles east of US Highway 101 just north of Port Orford.  The area Waters was working was heavily forested, steep and rugged.  The caller stated the information was that Waters had fallen and was injured.   Dispatch was advised another contractor working in the same area went in and tried to locate Waters, but at the time, could not locate him.

Curry County Search and Rescue were called to respond along with Cal Ore Life Flight Ambulance.  SAR coordinator Sergeant Jared Gray responded and while enroute, was told that Waters had been located but it would take a large crew to pack him out of where he was.  Sergeant Gray requested air support by Reach Air 19 and the US Coast Guard.  In the meantime, search crews included the Curry County Sheriff’s SAR team, a brush crew that was working in the area, the Sixes River Fire Department, and members of the USFS.  A medic from Cal Ore Ambulance and a flight medic from Air Reach, made there way down to Waters with the search crews and stabilized him.  The search crews had to pack Waters to a semi open area, several hundred yards away so the US Coast Guard could lower a rescue swimmer down to Waters.  The Coast Guard had to leave after being on scene for a while to get fuel and upon their return, they were able to lift Waters out and transport him to North Bend where he could be taken to Bay Area Hospital.  Waters was alert but was suffering from injuries sustained in the fall.  

The Curry County Sheriff’s Office is appreciative of the assistance from everyone who took part in the rescue.  By the time all search crews were out of the woods, the rescue took about ten hours.

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