DIANA, W.Va. — A West Virginia community is a little more thankful this Thanksgiving following a dramatic rescue that saved a woman’s life.
The Webster Springs Fire Department Swift Water Rescue Team was dispatched to swollen Sugar Creek late Tuesday night about 8.5 miles from the community of Diana, south of Holly River State Park. They found Amy Casteel, 36, stuck on a fallen tree after she had been carried downstream about a quarter of a mile nearly two hours earlier.
Webster County Office of Emergency Services Deputy Director Dale Hall said Casteel and her uncle, Jimmie Hines, 42, had attempted to cross the creek on an ATV at about 9 p.m. They realized it was too deep and attempted to back out but the ATV overturned in the water. Hines made it out of the water but Casteel didn’t. It took him about an hour to reach a residence to call for help.
Hall said once the rescue team and other volunteers from the Webster Springs, Hacker Valley and Diana volunteer fire departments found Casteel they determined a highline rescue was the only way to reach her. He said they took a generator, strung extension cords and set up lights so they could see her.
“Once rescuers found her and held a light for her–she was able to get out of the water to a debris pile and stayed there until we could get to her,” Hall said.
A member of the swift water rescue team swam over to the other side of Sugar Creek, other team members then threw him the line and he secured it to the trees. Hall said the team then used a 4:1 lift and put Casteel in a harness, hoisted her into the air and brought her across on a highline. She was taken to Webster County Memorial Hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
“What could have been just a recovery turned into a successful rescue,” Hall said.
There were between 20 and 30 volunteers on the scene and Hall said they will be extra thankful this Thanksgiving.
“It’s what we train for. We don’t want to come across this but when we do we want to be ready and prepared to do what we need to do,” he said.