Nov. 20--A 45-year-old San Francisco man spear fishing along the Sonoma Coast over the weekend accidentally impaled himself when a wave caught him by surprise, Sonoma County sheriff's officials said.
Javier Puentes, 45, of San Francisco and his friends were fishing at about 2:20 p.m. Saturday at a Fort Ross beach when a wave slammed him against rocks, Sgt. Dave Thompson said. The forced pushed the spear into his leg.
State Parks and Timber Cove Fire emergency crews climbed down a 75-foot cliff to reach Puentes. The sheriff's Henry One helicopter crew lowered a medic to retrieve the injured man from the base of the cliff. The crew loaded Puentes into the helicopter and flew him to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Puentes was treated for his injuries and discharged Sunday, hospital staff said.
Earlier Saturday, the helicopter team retrieved a lost hiker from an Elk Mountain canyon in Lake County.
A 22-year-old Upper Lake man hiking Friday lost his way and spent the night in the woods, Thompson said. Lake County search and rescue volunteers searched throughout the night and found him just before 7 a.m., Thompson said. The man was dehydrated and suffering from hypothermia.
The Sonoma County helicopter pilot lowered a medic on a 100-foot rope down to the man, who was about 300 feet below the ridge line, and carried him up to waiting emergency crews, Thompson said.
His name and condition weren't available Sunday.
Copyright 2011 - The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Calif.
