Despite warning signs, a family from Utah ventured out onto the jetty and was swept off. They were able to walk out of the water, however. | Photo courtesy of Eric Wier

An unidentified teenager sustained facial injuries after he and his family were swept off the Crescent City jetty at about 9:45 a.m. Saturday.

The family were visiting from Utah and had ventured out onto the jetty despite warning signs posted at the entrance, Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday. Though they were washed off the jetty, one family member, a paramedic, was able to get them to safety, Griffin said.

Crescent City police, Crescent City Fire & Rescue and Del Norte Ambulance responded. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that was already in the air responded to the scene as well, Griffin said.

“They got themselves out of the water, thankfully, pretty quickly, but the son received some injuries,” he said.

Crescent City resident Rebecca Philbrick Duncan, who was videoing the helicopter flyover, captured footage of the teenager being escorted off the jetty and to an ambulance where he was treated.

The weather was beautiful, if a little chilly, Duncan said. But people still shouldn’t have been on the jetty.

“I don’t go out there when the weather’s nice,” she said. “There are warnings posted right there — it’s like, ‘don’t do it.’”

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