OR Deputy Drowns During Off-Duty Rescue Attempt
Bystanders found the deputy and brought her to the surface. Linn County deputies and paramedics attempted life-saving procedures, but she did not survive.
Lane County, OR, Deputy Courtney Couch drowned Sunday while attempting to help her niece. (Photo: Lane County SO)
A Lane County, OR, sheriff's deputy drowned over the weekend while off duty with her family at Foster Reservoir, the sheriff's office announced Monday.
The sheriff's office said Deputy Courtney Couch (Anderson) was paddleboarding Sunday and attempting to help her young niece, the Register Guard reports.
The child was recovered safely.
Deputy Couch fell in the water and did not resurface.
Bystanders found the deputy and brought her to the surface. Linn County deputies and paramedics attempted life-saving procedures, but Couch did not survive. The Linn County Sheriff's Office said Couch was not wearing a life jacket at the time she went into the water, KPTV reports.
Couch, 36, was a veteran of the United States Army and had been a deputy with the Lane County Sheriff's Office for seven years.
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