Novato Firefighters Rescue 83-Year-Old Man Who Fell Down Creek Bank
NOVATO (CBS SF) -- The Novato Fire District rescued an elderly man who fell off a creek bank on his Novato property and became wedged between boulders Thursday afternoon.
Fire and rescue crews found him face down on his chest in a ravine on Marion Court. Another man unsuccessfully tried to free the 83-year-old property owner and called the fire department around 4:20 p.m., fire district spokeswoman Sandy Wargo said.
"He was standing on the edge of his property poking the ground with his cane when the soil gave way," Wargo said.
The soil was slowly eroding and the rain this week eroded it another 10-15 feet. Firefighters secured two trees that were leaning sideways with ropes to prevent them and the soil from falling on the man, Wargo said.
Fire Capt. Robert Le Croix moved a boulder and firefighters were able to slide the man out and onto a rescue basket and bring him up the creek bank, Wargo said.
The man, later identified as Gerry Godwin, suffered minor injuries but is home. Fire crews left the scene around 6 p.m., Wargo said.
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