Crime & Safety
Water Skier Crashes At 100 MPH During Competition Near Tacoma
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued the Australian water skier from the waters off Point Defiance.
RUSTON, WA - An Australian water skier crashed while going approximately 100 MPH in the waters off Point Defiance during a water skiing championship Saturday. A U.S. Coast Guard vessel stationed in Seattle was able to reach the skier and pull them from the water. The Coast Guard reported that the skier was injured with a broken leg and a possible back injury.
The crash happened during the 2017 World Water Ski Championship, in which water skiers from around the world compete in racing events. Twenty-two of the competitors participating in the event are from Australia.
The Coast Guard lifted the water skier out of the water using a stokes litter basket and transported the person to EMS personnel waiting at the shore.
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Photo via U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer 2nd Class Evan Estep
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