Sean Hanrahan – helped rescue a woman who fell from the end of Del Monte Ave. Screen capture cbs8.
A Good Samaritan by the name of Sean Hanrahan saved a woman after she fell off Sunset Cliffs into the ocean, Tuesday night, July 19th.
Around 8:15 pm at the end of Del Monte Avenue, the woman, with friends, somehow fell from the cliffs into the ocean and was immediately pulled out further by the rip current.
Sean Hanrahan, who lives nearby, saw that the woman apparently having trouble in the waves, and saw her hit her head against rocks. Hanrahan jumped in and kept her afloat until lifeguards arrived.
appeared to be struggling in the water and her head was hitting against the rocks. He jumped in to try and help her before lifeguards arrived to the scene.
He told the media:
“I was just yelling at her, motivating her to stay up, telling her to stay away from breaking waves, to swim out. Once there was a lull in the set, I went in after her.”
Rescuer arrived and pulled the the 51-year old woman out – she was strapped to a backboard and slowly lifted up the embankment.
She was unconscious when she arrived back on top. Lifeguards said she was suffering from life-threatening injuries. Once she gained consciousness, she was taken to a local hospital. She is expected to survive.
First reponders had praise for Hanrahan. Lt. John Sandmeyer said:
“His prime focus was just keeping here floating in the water. He wasn’t going to, without fins, without a buoy or some flotations, he was not going to get her out on his own but he was doing a great job keeping her floating on the surface.”
One news story said Hanrahan also needed rescuing. Another news report stated that according to lifeguards, the friend with the woman also suffered a head injury and was not able to help her out of the ocean, but did manage to call for help.
News sources:
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