Officials from the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office and Wellton Police Department came to the pair’s rescue on Wednesday after dispatch received a call around noon regarding the incident in the Yuma canal.
A train conductor had spotted the woman while passing the canal and called for help, the sheriff’s office said. Rescuers reached the woman, who was hanging onto a tree and her dog, just in the nick of time.
Police say that the woman slipped into the Yuma canal around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday while attempting to retrieve her 55-lb. dog from the water after noticing it was having a hard time getting back on land.
According to the police, neither the woman nor her dog appeared to have suffered critical injuries as a result of the incident.
During the first attempt to hoist the woman from the water, the strap being used by officials broke. One YSCO deputy fashioned a loop out of his K-9 long line leash and threw it around the woman, who was then pulled to safety.
“Her body told the story of her constantly fighting. She had abrasions to her whole arms. She had abrasions to her legs. She had a sunburn. She looked very exhausted to the point where she couldn’t stand on her own two feet.” says a police officer.
On Saturday, the victim’s brother shared a message in the comments section of the YSCO’s Facebook post, saying how “VERY thankful” he is “to all the Deputies and First Responders who assisted in this rescue.”
“It shows the excellent communication, teamwork, training, and quick thinking between YCSO and the Wellton PD,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself and his sister. “Even when the strap broke, you were quick to find a solution and pull her to safety.”
He later added, “To Sergeant Salcido, Deputy Rice, Officer Meza, EA Williams, and all of the unsung HEROES who were involved in this rescue, THANK YOU so very much for saving my sister’s life!!!”
Watch the rescue video here:
