BURST
A U.S. Coast Guard member critically injured during a high-seas rescue aboard a cargo ship west of Port Renfrew has died.
Tyler Jaggers, an aviation survival technician based in Astoria, Oregon, was injured Feb. 26 during a medevac of a cargo-ship crew member who had suffered a stroke.
Jaggers was flown to Victoria General Hospital for immediate care and was put on life support. On Tuesday, Jaggers was transported to Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington, where he died from his injuries on Friday.
The U.S. Coast Guard said that during a ceremony from his hospital bed, attended by his family and fellow crew members from Air Station Astoria, Jaggers was recognized for his “remarkable courage” and was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the highest military awards for heroism.
“Jaggers represented the very best of our service and the aviation rescue swimmer community,” said Admiral Kevin Lunday, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. “He demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of danger, upholding the highest standards of courage and excellence for Coast Guard operations. We honour his selfless actions and unwavering devotion to our highest calling: to save others.”
Jaggers joined the coast guard in January 2022 and served at Astoria air station since April 2024. He had previously been recognized for superior performance by the Secretary of Homeland Security while assigned as a crew member aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Legare during operations in the Caribbean Sea.
The Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Association said Friday that Jaggers was seriously injured while part of a crew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter sent to a large cargo vessel west of Cape Flattery, Wash.
The U.S. Coast Guard has not provided details on how he was injured and continues to investigate.
The Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Association said Jaggers “gave his life in the purest act of service: trying to save another.
Coast Guard rescue swimmers, also known as aviation survival technicians, are part of an elite crew that deploys from helicopters to provide medical care in extremely dangerous situations.