Kayaker Clinging onto Logs in River Rescued by AZ Crews

April 11, 2023
Verde Valley firefighters said she managed to get to her cell phone and call 9-1-1.

Don Sweeney

The Charlotte Observer

(TNS)

Firefighters rescued a woman found clinging to logs in the Verde River after her kayak flipped, Arizona officials reported.

Firefighters from the Verde Valley Fire District were able to rescue the woman and her kayak near Cottonwood on Sunday, April 9, officials said in a news release.

She became trapped against the logs after her kayak overturned, the release said.

“She was being pushed by the water into those logs and was holding on as long as she could,” Fire Chief Danny Johnson told KNXV. “She was able to get her cell phone and was able to get it working with a little bit of water damage.”

The woman’s 911 call helped rescuers pinpoint her location, the news outlet reported.

“Please be safe on our river and don’t kayak alone,” firefighters said in the release.

Cottonwood is a city of 6,200 people about 100 miles north of Phoenix.

70-year-old on Easter walk and motorcyclist die in chaotic crash, California cops say

Driver tries to swerve but kills 7-year-old girl crossing highway, California cops say

‘Aggressive’ 8-foot tiger shark bites 58-year-old surfer, Hawaii officials say

©2023 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.