The Curry County Sheriff’s Office received information through the Brookings Police Department 911 center Monday, July 12th, that a woman that had fallen off a cliff near Natural Bridges about twelve miles north of Brookings.
Brookings and Cape Ferello Fire Departments along with Cal Ore Life Flight Ambulance were immediately dispatched to the scene by Brookings dispatch while Curry County Sheriff’s dispatch requested the Curry County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue rope team.
Contact with the caller was established by Curry County Sheriff’s Deputies upon arrival and the family member told Deputies that her sister-in-law, sixty-year-old Glenda Tucker from North Carolina, had fallen about 300′ from a cliff into the ocean and that Maloy’s husband was stuck on the side of the cliff trying to get down to where Tucker was.
Glenda Tucker could be seen floating face down in the cove area from the Deputies location and vantage point, and dispatch was notified that the female victim, was deceased. Due to the location Tucker was at in the water below, a request was made to the Coast Guard for a helicopter and a swimmer to recover Tucker.
Trained first responders secured a safety line to a tree and descended to where James Maloy was and were able to get him back to safety while simultaneously, the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue rope team and swimmers prepared to make the recovery in case the Coast Guard were not able to.
Upon arrival, the Coast Guard Helicopter determined they could lower a swimmer outside the cove area where Tucker was and have the swimmer bring Tucker back outside of the cove to be hoisted to the helicopter. The Coast Guard rescue swimmer had to swim about 200 yards to reach Tucker.
Once the rescue swimmer had Tucker back outside the cove, she was hoisted up and delivered a short distance away to Search and Rescue members and other first responders near where she had fallen, before being released to Redwood Memorial from Brookings.
