Teenager rescued after 20-foot fall into Potomac River

An 18-year-old was rescued with traumatic injuries Sunday after a 20-foot fall from rocks into the Potomac River.

D.C. Fire and EMS tweeted initial reports about the incident, which occurred near Fletcher’s Boathouse at 4:42 p.m.

The 18-year-old’s injuries were severe, but non-life-threatening, according to D.C. Fire.

During the rescue, first responders secured the fall victim in a rescue basket and lowered the teen with ropes to a fireboat waiting on the shoreline. The individual was then transported to Thompson’s Boathouse.

This is a developing story.  

Thomas Robertson

Thomas Robertson is an Associate Producer and Web Writer/Editor at WTOP. After graduating in 2019 from James Madison University, Thomas moved away from Virginia for the first time in his life to cover the local government beat for a small daily newspaper in Zanesville, Ohio.

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