Coast Guard rescues woman in Potomac near Key Bridge

BALTIMORE — Coast Guard Station Washington, D.C., crewmembers rescued a woman from the Georgetown Channel near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Washington, D.C., after her single-person vessel capsized Sunday.
Rescued was Jenie Upchurch, 61, from Arlington, Va.
D.C. Metro Police contacted Coast Guard Sector Baltimore watchstanders at 11:56 a.m. to report that a woman had fallen from a scull near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Georgetown Channel and was struggling to stay afloat.
A 25-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Station Washington, D.C., that was conducting training in the vicinity of the 14th Street Bridge received the notification and diverted to the scene along with D.C. Metro Police and D.C. Fire Rescue. At 12:05 p.m. the Coast Guard crew located Upchurch, who was being assisted by another scull. The rescue crew threw a life ring and pulled her aboard their vessel. The crew then placed the scull in tow and transported Upchurch to awaiting EMS personnel at Thompson Boat Center in Washington, D.C.
There are no reports of injuries.
“It’s important to remember to never go out alone,” said Seaman Kristina Pietrofere, a crewmember at Station Washington, D.C. “It’s always good to go out with somebody with you, just in case something like this happens.”