Kayaker on the Shenandoah River, in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. (Photo: Mr.TinDC via Flickr with CC BY-ND 2.0 license)
Jefferson County is the eastern-most county of the panhandle of West Virginia.
The crew of Maryland State Police helicopter, Trooper 3, based at the Frederick Airport, was dispatched at 7:15 p.m. yesterday to assist authorities with the rescue of a family stranded in dangerous rapids in the Shenandoah River near Harpers Ferry. After arriving on scene, the crew of Trooper 3 was directed to rescue a 13-year-old girl who was stranded on a rock completely surrounded by rapids that made a rescue by boat or any other means impossible.
A member of the Maryland State Police helicopter crew was lowered to the stranded teen from the aircraft. A rescue basket was then lowered and the crew member assisted the teen into the basket. Both the teen and the crew member were then hoisted into the aircraft. After landing, the crew transferred the teen to Jefferson County emergency medical personnel for evaluation and returned to the hangar.
Members of the Trooper 3 crew last night were: Pilot Todd Hyson, Pilot Jonathan Noble, Crew Chief and hoist operator TFC William Jansen, Rescue Tech Sgt. Gregg Lantz (who was lowered to assist the victim) and Rescue Tech TFC Jonathan Nishi.
The actions of these personnel emphasize the expertise of Maryland State Police helicopter crews and the multi-platform abilities of the AW139 aircraft that support the search/rescue, medevac, law enforcement and homeland security missions of the Aviation Command, according to an MSP spokesperson.