Youth rescued after falling into lake

SANDPOINT — Fast thinking and crews already on scene for a multiple-car accident near the north end of the Long Bridge led to the quick rescue of a Sandpoint teen who fell into Lake Pend Oreille on Tuesday evening.

The bridge was closed shortly before 6 p.m. due to an accident and the scene was just clearing about an hour later, Capt. Tim Hemphill, Bonner County Sheriff's Office spokesman, said.

Hemphill said the 15-year-old, who is from the Sandpoint area, was with his parents in the car when he decided to try and hop onto the walking bridge from the Long Bridge, not realizing there was a gap between the two structures.

"He hopped over the railing expecting to land on the walking bridge but went straight into the water," Hemphill said.

Bonner Dispatch received the first call at 7:54 p.m. advising people were looking over the bridge with flashlights and that someone may have fallen into the lake. A minute later, the teen's mother called to alert law enforcement that her son had fallen between the two structures.

A deputy on scene for the accident was able to locate the youth in the water — about a third of the way down the structure from the Sandpoint side and, along with another deputy, lower a life vest to the teen on a rope.

They stayed with the youth until Selkirk Fire crews were able to make their way down to where the youth was from the accident.

Fire crews lowered a rescuer down to the water where the youth, who was able to partially get the life vest on, was hanging onto a piling. They were able to get the youth back onto the bridge at 8:26 p.m.

The youth, who was in the water for about 30 minutes, was transported to Bonner General Health to be checked for hypothermia. According to the U.S. Navy website, water temperatures in the lake were 30.9 degrees on Tuesday evening.