Resident rescued by chopper after paddleboard accident

An area youth was seriously injured in a paddleboarding accident at Pats Creek late Sunday, and after being found by emergency medical technicians had to be airlifted out to safety.

Sixteen-year-old Trevyn Stockton had been out on the water with two friends that evening. They were navigating Pats using paddleboards, similar to a surf board which the rider stands or sits on while using a paddle for direction.

Heavy rainfall over the weekend contributed to high, swift water conditions. At some point Stockton fell into the water and was whisked downstream. Losing track of him, Stockton's friends began calling for help.

"We received the call at about 7:04 p.m.," reported Fire Chief Tim Buness. "It sounded like when we got there it had been about 30 minutes since they lost contact with him. But they did the right thing. They made a quick look for him, didn't find him right away, and one of them ran to get cell service to get a call in for help. That was the best I think you could ask for out of that situation."

Emergency personnel and local residents rushed to the area when they heard of the trouble.

"We located the individual about 20 minutes later," said Buness. Responders found Stockton up Pats Creek without his paddleboard, on the far side of the creek. He was about 50 yards downstream from the creekside boardwalk accessible from the trailhead.

Firefighter Jordan Buness was the first to get over to the injured teen, using a fallen log. Stockton had suffered numerous injuries, and Buness worked to rehydrate him using an IV while rescuers decided how to proceed.

"We didn't feel comfortable with him coming back with some of the injuries that he had," Chief Buness

explained. "We assessed the situation there, felt that it would be best if we got the Coast Guard to come in. The young individual was stuck on a little island and had some injuries, and we weren't comfortable letting him try to crawl back the way our rescue guys got to him by."

Coast Guard Air Station Sitka received the call for assistance at around 8:15 p.m., and a flight was dispatched within the hour. Commander John Leach piloted one of the station's three MH-60 Jayhawk response helicopters, accompanied by co-pilot Lt. Jason Condon, flight mechanic Lee Statham and rescue diver Tyler Holt.

Wind that evening was moving from 30 to 40 knots, and the crew had to contend with a low cloud ceiling. Conditions improved slightly after passing Baranof Island, and the helicopter arrived at Pats just after 10:30 p.m.

"At that point it was dark," Holt recounted. The island's terrain and tree cover protected the site from much of the wind, but foggy conditions and the forest canopy made getting the hoist down to rescuers on the ground a challenge.

"After much deliberation they finally got him into a basket and picked him up out of there," said Buness.

Holt is a second-level EMT, and assisted with the transfer of Stockton to the aircraft using the hoist. The mission then conveyed the wounded teenager to Wrangell Airport, from which point local EMTs transported him to the hospital for treatment.

Stockton stayed at Wrangell Medical Center for continued care, and was expected to be discharged Tuesday. The experience had been a traumatic one for him, mother Colei Stockton explained, and he was unable to comment on the story.

"He is slowly recovering and will be able to come home this afternoon," she said. "It's all starting to kick in and he's pretty overwhelmed. We're just so happy we still have him."

"We are appreciative and grateful to Adrienne (McLaughlin) for letting us know he had been in an accident, the boys who tried to find him and went for help and all of the agencies involved in his rescue and recovery," Stockton concluded. "And an extra special thank you to Jordan Buness. We are very grateful he wasn't alone."

"I can't praise the Coast Guard enough for their efforts," Buness said afterward. "It wasn't an easy hoist for them, being that it was so dark." He likened the rescue to threading a needle.

Twenty-three firefighters and medical technicians took part in the rescue, finally wrapping up just before 1 a.m. Monday. Because it was so late, the Coast Guard crew stayed overnight in Wrangell before returning to Sitka later in the morning. "It was a great team effort," Buness said.

As spring continues into summer and residents start heading upriver or out onto open water for work and recreation, Buness asks that they remember to exercise caution. Even creeks and sloughs can be dangerous to navigate when conditions are right.

"Try to stay away from the outlets, especially after heavy rains like this. Always wear a (personal flotation device), and make sure somebody knows where you're headed and what's going on," the chief suggested.