500-pound man pulled from river after being trapped overnight
‘Emergency workers labored through the night to rescue an ailing 500-pound man who was stranded on a stretch of the St. Croix River so shallow that rescue vehicles – including a hovercraft – were unable to approach. [..]
Rike and three friends were floating down the river Monday afternoon when Rike’s tube hit a rock and deflated, said Chief Deputy Steve Ovick of the Pine County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota. [..]
Rike’s group called 911 shortly after 8 p.m. to report that he was ill. A paramedic who arrived by helicopter stabilized Rike, but the pilot couldn’t take him to a hospital.
“The aircraft that found him said they could not lift that amount of weight,” Ovick said.
As many as 50 rescuers on the ground eventually responded, with the first reaching Rike about 9 p.m.’
