The following is the text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(JUNEAU, Alaska) — A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced an injured mariner off the cargo vessel Tianjin Pioneer approximately 97 miles north of Adak, Alaska, on Saturday.
The Jayhawk crew hoisted the 21-year-old man and transported him to awaiting emergency medical personnel in Adak. He was then transported to Anchorage for medical care by an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew.
Watch standers at Coast Guard 17th District received notification from a crewmember of the Tianjin Pioneer that the mariner suffered a leg injury while working in heavy seas. Watch standers consulted the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac.
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak HC-130 Hercules airplane crew was directed to the scene to provide coverage for the Jayhawk crew and transport the mariner from Adak to Anchorage.
“Having the Jayhawk and Hercules crews work in tandem is essential for long-range medevac cases,” said Adam DeRocher, a Coast Guard 17th District watch stander. “Our crews often work as a team to get patients the medical care they need as efficiently as possible while keeping each other safe.”
Weather on scene was reported as 50-mph winds and two miles of visibility.
