Park Police officers were notified that a woman had fallen into the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial just before 6 p.m. on Monday, December 17th. A tourist walking near the basin saw the woman in the water, calling for help, and ran over to assist her. Because of the high seawall and the added water weight of her soaked clothing, he could not pull her out of the water on his own. He was able to hold her arms, though, to keep her from going under until help could arrive. Another couple in the area observed the incident and called 911. Officers Tim Wallace and Bruce Airey and sergeant Carl Holmberg arrived in short order and assisted the tourist in pulling the woman over the edge of the basin and out of the water. This was a dangerous rescue for them, as the air temperature was in the 40’s and the water was very cold. The officers and the citizen had to risk leaning over a high seawall with nothing to hold onto in order to pull her out. First aid was administered to the victim until an ambulance could arrive. She was then taken to a local hospital and treated for hypothermia.
