NORTH BEND, Ore.  — A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued an injured rafter from the Rogue River near North Bend on Thursday, with satellite communication key due to no road access in the area. 

A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Air Station North Bend medevaced the 68-year-old man with a leg injury 53 miles southeast of North Bend, officials said Sunday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received an agency assist request at 4:16 p.m. Thursday from the Curry County Sheriff’s Office. Local responders were unable to reach the group of rafters needing assistance in a location with no road access.

Watchstanders from Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center Seattle dispatched the MH-65 Dolphin aircrew to assist.

The aircrew arrived on scene at 6:28 p.m., located the group of 10 rafters at a clearing near the river and hoisted the injured man. He was then transported by helicopter to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford at 7:30 p.m.

“Access to remote areas can quickly become challenging when someone is seriously injured,” said Lt. Cmdr. Tahnee Zaccano, Coast Guard Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator for the case. “The coordination between the Curry County Sheriff’s Office, the rafting party who packed the proper satellite communications device, and our aircrew enabled us to safely transport this individual to a higher level of care.”

The Coast Guard reminds recreational river users to carry reliable communications equipment, maintain a first-aid kit, share their trip plan with someone ashore and be prepared for changing conditions in remote areas.

Weather conditions at the time of search were 5-10 mph winds, 10-mile visibility, and 65-degree air temperature.