Perry Township supervisors applaud river rescue effort
PERRY TWP — Township officials commended the emergency responders who rescued a Wickhaven woman who spent hours stranded on an island in the Youghiogheny River in frigid weather early Sunday.
Supervisor A.J. Boni, who also is a member of the township volunteer fire department, said family members reported the woman missing at 4 p.m. Saturday after she took her dog for a walk along the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail.
Someone spotted her on the island, which is located on the bike trail side of the river, in Layton at approximately 1:10 a.m. Sunday and the fire department, Fayette County Swift Water Rescue Team, paramedics from Rostraver and an emergency medical helicopter assisted state police in the rescue effort, Boni said.
Two members of the county water rescue team put a boat in the river in Layton and removed the woman from the island, but the boat motor failed after she was on board, he said, noting that the river was running high that morning.
He said the water rescue team managed to guide the boat back to the shore of the island and responders pulled the boat to the riverbank with a rope at approximately 5 a.m. About 25 firefighters, rescuers, paramedics and police took part in the rescue.
“It was an extraordinary effort,” said Supervisor Clarence Johnson.