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Coast Guard rescues 4 people in the water near Milford Haven

Posted at 8:24 PM, Sep 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-11 20:24:03-04

MATHEWS COUNTY, Va. – The Coast Guard assisted one woman and three children after they became fatigued while swimming near Milford Haven.

Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads got a phone call from Mathews County 911 dispatch at 4:41 p.m. Sunday afternoon that a 58-year-old woman and her three grandchildren were fatigued in the water near their jet ski about one-half mile off Gwynn Island in Hudgins, Virginia.

All four people were wearing life jackets when a Response Boat-Small crew from Coast Guard Station Milford Haven arrived on scene.

The three kids were able to swim back to the jet ski, while the woman was struggling to tread water and was short of breath.

“The current out there was strong today, and the fact that those four were wearing life jackets may very well have saved their lives,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Theall, the coxswain of the RBS crew. “It doesn’t matter if you’re staying close to shore, the importance of wearing life jackets is immeasurable.”

An EMS team was waiting on shore to perform medical evaluations on all four when the Coast Guard brought them back.