Coast Guard makes two rescues in two days
One was a man on a makeshift raft off Key West
In the span of about 24 hours this weekend, the Coast Guard rescued two people in unrelated incidents off Key West.
A 41-year-old man spotted floating off the coast of Key West on a makeshift raft Saturday was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. He had no food, water or radio, a Coast Guard spokesman said, and his raft appears to have been made out of wood pallets and a hand truck.
The day before, a 49-year-old man was evacuated from a commercial ship when crewmates called, saying the man was having difficulty breathing.
Crews aboard a 50-foot commercial fishing vessel called the Coast Guard around 3:30 p.m. Friday, asking for help for their crewmate. The Coast Guard sent a 33-foot cutter with a rescue team to evacuate the man.
“This medevac’s success was due to the combination of our crew’s training and William Trump’s assistance in this operation,” Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Jamey
Kinney said in a statement, referring to the U.S. Coast Guard cutter named after Trump, a Coast Guardsman who earned a Silver Star for his heroism at the Invasion of Normandy on D-Day in 1944.
“We also have to mention the good Samaritan, who maintained good communication throughout the operation, enabling us to transfer the injured man to medical service technicians and get him the medical attention needed.”
Then around 3 p.m. Saturday, Coast Guard crews saw a man on a makeshift raft off the coast of Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park at the west end of Key West.
A rescue crew took him onto their boat.
A photo tweeted by the Coast Guard Saturday shows the man shirtless, barefoot and wearing shorts and a visor on his makeshift raft, which is carrying just him and a backpack.
Both men were brought back to the Coast Guard stations and then Lower Keys Medical Center. The Coast Guard would not identify either man, citing medical privacy laws.