At around 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, Hoquiam emergency services responded to a rescue call just down the street from the police station of a vehicle in the Hoquiam River.

Police arrived at the scene, near 8th Street and Levee Street, rapidly, said Lt. Brian Dayton of the Hoquiam Police Department.

“It came in as a rescue. According to the caller, a vehicle had driven into the water and was sinking,” Dayton said. “Upon the officers arrival, they observed the 24-year-old female holding on to the front of a tugboat yelling for help.”

Officers used a water rescue disc to reach the woman and pull her out, Dayton said.

“All of our cars have rescue disks and life jackets in case we have to get into the water ourselves or to throw to someone in the water,” Dayton said.

The woman was evaluated on-scene for possible exposure by the Hoquiam Fire Department, Dayton said, before being transported for further evaluation and treatment. Drugs or alcohol are not factors in this case, Dayton said.

The car is still in the channel where it sank, and may pose a risk to the navigability of the waterway, Dayton said.

“The car is still in the waterway,” Dayton said. “The Coast Guard is in the process of trying to locate and remove it.”

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.