A 25-year-old man from Cloquet, Minnesota was able to call 911, then hold onto a rock for more than 2 hours after tipping his canoe on the St. Louis River Sunday afternoon.
The Carlton County sheriff’s office received a 911 call from the canoeist at 2:32 p.m. Sheriff’s dispatchers were able to use the GPS coordinates from the man’s cell phone to determine his location and launch a rescue group.
Carlton County deputies and firefighters from Cloquet and Carlton found the man lying on a rock in the river. The Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota DNR, St. Louis County Rescue Squad, Minnesota Power and Life Link III Helicopter were all called to assist with the difficult rescue.
The canoeist was wearing a life jacket. He was rescued from the river at 4:41 p.m. and transported by ambulance to the hospital for evaluation and treatment.