Woman Rescued After 70-Foot Fall Into Potomac River

POTOMAC, MD — A kayaker helped rescue a woman who fell about 70 feet into the Potomac River Sunday morning and was seriously injured, say Montgomery County emergency officials.

The woman fell from a cliff on the Virginia side of the river near the Billy Goat Trail, said Pete Piringer, spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services.

Several swift water boats were training nearby at the time of the accident and quickly responded, NBC Washington reports.

Piringer said a kayaker who saw the woman fall quickly reached her and kept her head above water until emergency crews could move her into a hoist.

The woman was flown to an area hospital by a U.S. Park Service helicopter for trauma treatment.

»Photo courtesy of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services