Image Credit: Prince George Search and Rescue
Injured Kayaker

PGSAR, BCEHS rescue injured kayaker after Saturday incident on the Crooked River

May 11, 2025 | 1:21 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — Prince George Search and Rescue (PGSAR) was called in to rescue a kayaker who suffered a life-threatening injury while on the Crooked River Saturday (May 10)

It says the injured kayaker, who was part of a group of four, slipped and suffered a severe laceration that resulted in significant bleeding They note the injury occurred as the kayaker tried to pull their kayak over a log that stretched across the river.

“Her party got her to shore, then two of them chased down the boat with the cell phone in it. They called for help, before making their way back upstream to the injured subject,” PGSAR said in a post on Facebook.

They note that while BC Emergency Health Services responded, paramedics called for search and rescue crews to be dispatched to help get the injured woman from the shore into the waiting ambulance

“We packaged her up just as it started to briefly rain, and used saws to clear a path through the thick brush, brambles, and fallen trees to the road,” PSSAR said, noting 17 members arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after paramedics.

PGSAR also said they were “delighted” that all four kayakers were wearing life jackets, and that they had access to a device that could call for help in an emergency.

“Thank you BCEHS for your quick response and collaboration, and for getting us rolling quickly too,” the PGSAR statement said. “Many of our members were already at the SAR hall, taking RPAS drone pilot training, so they mobilized right away.”