A couple’s Saturday morning dog walk took a dangerous turn after a woman fell into the Black River on Saturday.
“She was swept downstream approximately a mile, mile and a half,” said Black River Fire Chief Matthew Carpenter.
According to a Facebook post by Black River Fire Department, the department received a call at 10:59 a.m. and requested mutual aid from the City of Watertown Fire Department Swift Water Rescue Team as well as a helicopter to fly overhead, as they had lost sight of the woman.
Luckily, a resident of Riverbend Drive was out that morning doing yard work with his son, who spotted the woman in the water. The son called 911 while the father launched a canoe and set out after the woman, catching up to her and pulling her into the vessel.
According to Mr. Carpenter, the father brought the canoe over to the trail side of the river, where they were met by members of the Black River Fire Department. The City of Watertown Fire Department arrived and used rope rescue equipment to remove her from the canoe and up the embankment without further injury.
“Any injury was pretty minor, and she was cold,” Mr. Carpenter said.
He estimated she had been in the water about 20 minutes, and the woman was transported to Samaritan Medical Center as a precaution.
In addition to Black River and City of Watertown Fire, Black River Ambulance, Guilfoyle Paramedics, Department of Environmental Conservation and State Park law enforcement all responded.
Mr. Carpenter said that those walking along the Black River should use caution.
“It’s a beautiful body of water,” he said. “But it’s very dangerous ... be aware of your surroundings and watch your footing.”