Last Friday’s heavy rainfall in northern Cochise County led to an arduous rescue of a woman who was trapped in a muddy wash overnight after being swept away by raging water north of Benson.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office reported that its Search and Rescue (SAR) unit was activated for a swift water rescue around 8 p.m. July 2 after two “elderly” women left their vehicle to watch the water flowing in a wash crossing Ocotillo Road. Both women ended up in the fast-flowing water after hearing what one reported “sounded like a freight train.”
“One female was able to get out approximately 3/4 mile east of Ocotillo Road,” according to CCSO. “She reported as she was getting out of the water she saw the second female float by hanging onto a log.”
After crawling out of the wash, the first woman was able to call for help. SAR members along with sheriff’s deputies and a helicopter rescue crew from the Arizona Department of Public Safety spent hours searching for the second woman, who was reported to be 77-years-old.
However, the search had to be suspended due to the darkness. At daylight rescuers resumed the search, and at 7:30 a.m. a SAR ground team found the woman alive and conscious. She had been trapped by the heavy mud and debris along the bank of the wash, suffering serious injuries which did not appear to be life threatening.
Rescuers spent time preparing the woman to be lifted from the scene by the DPS chopper “Tucson Ranger.” Once at a landing zone, the woman was transferred to a Healthcare Innovations paramedic team for transport to a trauma hospital in Tucson.
CCSO said on Tuesday it had not received any update on the woman’s condition.
The rescue was also assisted by the Cochise County Highway Department as well as the Sundance Fire Department from Cascabel.
