MOBILE, Ala. — A Coast Guard aircrew helped rescue a swimmer caught in a rip current off Dauphin Island on April 14, then flew the person to a Mobile hospital in critical condition.
Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders received a call at 4:18 p.m. reporting three swimmers caught in a rip current off the beach. The swimmers were able to make it back to shore, where Dauphin Island Police officers and emergency medical services waited for the aircrew to arrive.
The helicopter crew landed nearby and assisted emergency crews, transferring one swimmer in critical condition along with two EMS personnel to Providence Hospital in Mobile, according to the Coast Guard.
The agency urged the public to be cautious of rip currents and to heed posted beach flags and warning signs.