GREEN RIVER, Utah — A man was rescued after getting swept up in a flash flood in eastern Utah Saturday afternoon.
The Emery County Sheriff's Office said they were called around 4 p.m. to the southern part of Green River, where the man became stuck in a "wash" by a flash flood.
The first deputy to respond called for additional help, and eventually, a multi-agency team was there with rope rescue gear, a front-end loader, and several employees or volunteers. A local resident also showed up with a raft and offered to help.
The team tied the raft to the front-end loader as Deputy Josh Opp and Green River resident Kent Nelson paddled out to reach the stranded victim in the fast-moving water. They brought him a life jacket, then those on shore pulled both the raft and the man to safety. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, the sheriff's office said.
"A HUGE thank you to Green River Fire Department, Green River City Public Works crew, Utah Highway Patrol, Classic Air Medical, and any other Green River citizens that jumped in to help at this time of need," the sheriff's office wrote. "The actions provided by the citizens were priceless. They put themselves in danger to rescue a perfect stranger. The victim is not from our area and no one knew him, but that did not matter to any of them. They were all cold and wet, working together to rescue to a very scared person that could have been swept away at any second. To all involved, your actions today absolutely saved a life. BRAVO!!!"
