Border Patrol Agents Save Man With Two Broken Legs

DEL RIO, TEXAS – U.S. Border Patrol marine agents from the Comstock Station rescued a 65-year-old man Monday morning. Upon finding the man, agents noted that the older gentleman was suffering from two broken legs after trekking along a treacherous stretch of the Rio Grande River.

According to a press release, agents with the U.S. Border Patrol were conducting a routine patrol on February 27, approximately 50 miles northwest of Del Rio, when they noticed a man in severe pain and stranded on the Mexican bank of the Rio Grande River. After coordinating with the Mexican government, the U.S. agents were able to steer their boat towards the suffering individual. The man, who had two broken legs, suffered these injuries while attempting to navigate the surrounding country side. Mexican authorities were not able to reach the man’s location due to the treacherous landscape and lack of roads.

With the aid of a CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter and Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents, the man was loaded onto a Border Patrol Lake Task Force boat and transported south across Lake Amistad. At a predetermined location on the international buoy-line, near the Amistad Dam, Mexican officials took the injured man aboard their boat and transported him to a medical facility for evaluation.

Acting Chief Patrol Agent Matthew J. Hudak stated, “Hazardous terrain can add great risk to the inherent dangers of traversing remote areas. Thanks to the keen eye of our Del Rio Sector marine agents, and with the coordination and support of our foreign partners, this man’s story did not end in greater tragedy.”