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Texting woman rescued after fall off Kodiak cliff
KODIAK — Fire officials faced a double challenge during a recent rescue: A woman fell 60 feet down a cliff to rocks as the tide crept in along a Kodiak beach.
The home of the woman, Maria Pestrikoff, sits on the cliff. While texting on Sept. 17, she walked close to the edge to discard a cigarette butt. She slipped on wet grass and fell, her friend Anthony Burke told the Kodiak Daily Mirror in a story Wednesday.
“She was in the rocks between the boulders and she was calling for help,” Burke said. “She was screaming in agony.”
Bayside Fire Department received the first call for help. Chief Bob Himes said the Kodiak Fire Department was quickly summoned for its expertise in rope rescues.
“It’s a very hard rescue,” Himes said. “It’s very technical, and it doesn’t happen that often. We rely on the city and the Coast Guard fire departments who have the manpower to do the training.”
Two Bayside volunteer first responders used an aluminum ladder to descend and reach Pestrikoff. Kodiak firefighters followed, Chief Rome Kamai said in an email.
He and fire Lt. Matt Stone rappelled down to Pestrikoff and began to prepare her for the lift back to the top of the cliff, Kamai said.
Rescuers had to act quickly. The cold tide was just 10 feet from Pestrikoff.
Pestrikoff suffered multiple injuries. She was stabilized, placed in a stretcher and lifted up the cliff. An ambulance took her to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center, and she was flown to an Anchorage hospital.
TOWG
September 28th, 2012
Woman falls off cliff while smoking and texting. If I were Darwin I’d feel cheated.
Stranded in Sonoma
September 28th, 2012
So, should the liberals blame Steve Jobs or Phillip Morris?
hanoverfist
September 28th, 2012
I dont text.
I quit smoking a long time agoe.
Oh yea,
I dont wander near cliffs either.;-P
OpenTheDoor
September 28th, 2012
How much is she going to billed for that rescue?
Texting, walking and smoking, next to a cliff.
I think the gene pool will would do just fine without her contribution.i
Maudie N Mandeville
September 28th, 2012
Liberal thought process:
“Help, help! I was texting and smoking while walking along the side of this cliff.”
OK, but before I pull you up, you must admit your willful ignorance got you into this situation.
“This is stupid. It was an accident. Just pull me up, you phuck.”
Nope. Admit your ignorance.
“I would rather lie here and die before I admit my error to you.”
So shall it be.
(Don’t you wish it were that easy with all good liberal mistakes.)
Uncle Dirt
September 28th, 2012
By God! We need laws to prevent this NOW! Look how much good it has done for texting drivers…
Anonymous
September 28th, 2012
Ten thumbs up for TOWG and Stranded’s comments.
Graceia
September 28th, 2012
Really? Really? Had she been drinking, too? If your house is on a cliff, aren’t you even a little aware of the danger???
skh.pcola
September 28th, 2012
Litterbugs should get hurt every time that they even contemplate trashing the environment. But, I am glad that she was rescued and is okay.
Carlos The Jackal
September 28th, 2012
“See, I told you smoking is bad for your health!”
I Luv Bacon
September 28th, 2012
I wonder if she picked up any followers on ‘twitter’ while wedged between the rocks?
Stranded in Sonoma
September 28th, 2012
@I Luv Bacon — My thought was: I wonder if she updated her Facebook status to Fell off a cliff, stuck there, and close to drowning?
Noodengr
September 28th, 2012
And I thought that the guy I saw walking down the sidewalk with an open book in one hand reading it and a cig in the other was living a bit dangerously. but he only had cars coming out of driveways and other pedestrians to worry about not gravity with rocks and sea below.
I nominate this woman for a Darwin award winner wanna be.
FreeMan & Sarah Voting Early & Often
September 28th, 2012
She was fined for the pollution, right?
Chuck U Farley
September 28th, 2012
In Obysmal’s second term he will make it a priority to protect the ‘texting while stupid’ people.
…right after he halts the ‘rise of the oceans’ and implements the ‘Your first cart of groceries free’ program.
Unruly Refugee
September 29th, 2012
At least she wasn’t driving. I had a woman come at me head on in my lane a couple months ago with her head down in text position. All I could do was hit the brakes and swap lanes with her while calling her a fucking bitch as she passed.
There needs to be a bounty on texters.