Crews rescue woman after falling into Elliott Bay from ferry

SEATTLE — A 63-year-old woman was rescued by Washington State Department of Transportation ferry crews after they say she fell or jumped into Elliott Bay on Saturday afternoon.

The incident happened on the Seattle to Bainbridge Island route just after 1 p.m.

A spokesperson with WSDOT said a woman fell or jumped off the ferry around the route’s halfway point, which is just off of Alki Beach and West Seattle. Crews were able to get her back on the ferry and to shore to be evaluated by Seattle Fire Department medics.

Officials said the woman was suffering from light hypothermia and was taken to Harborview Medical Center. She is currently in stable condition.

While situations like this one are rare on Washington State Ferries, crews train often to respond to these sorts of rescues.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize that,” said Ian Sterling with WSF. “They think it’s just somebody telling me where to park aboard a ferry boat, but no. They are all trained firefighters. They all go to fire school … All of them at least have basic first-aid skills and some of them more advanced medical skills. And we train all the time.”

The incident caused minor delays on the ferry route for about an hour.