Helicopter With Thermal Imaging Saves Suicidal Woman in Woods Dressed All in Black

Saturday, July 11, 2009
SPOKANE, Wash. ””  The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office says a helicopter equipped with thermal imaging helped deputies find and save a suicidal woman who had passed out in the woods, dressed all in black.

A call came in at about 11:45 p.m. Friday that the woman living in the Browne Mountain area southeast of Spokane had taken about 50 Tylenol ”” washing them down with vodka ”” and wandered into the woods near her home.

Deputies rushed to the scene but couldn’t find her. The county’s Air One helicopter had just finished its nightly patrol, and its crew refueled the machine and headed back into the sky.

Initially, they only spotted wildlife in the dark below, but soon saw the outline of a human form.

The woman was unconscious with shallow breathing, but was expected to recover after being taken to a hospital.