Couple jumps on log to escape wave, then it rolls over wife and kills her, WA cops say

A Washington woman died after a large wave knocked her and her husband off a log and rolled it on top of them, according to a news release from the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office.

The couple was walking along a beach Sunday morning near Pacific Beach State Park when some large waves crashed ashore, prompting the couple to stand on top of a log, according to the news release posted on Facebook.

One of the waves was large enough to knock the couple off the log — and strong enough to roll the log on top of them, according to the release.

The husband suffered a leg injury, while his 54-year-old wife “had several areas of trauma,” the release said. Other people in the area brought the couple to dry land and began performing CPR when the woman stopped breathing, according to the release.

Once first responders arrived, they began driving her to a local hospital in an ambulance, the release said. But on the way, she succumbed to her injuries and died.

“This is a tragic accident that occurred after an unforeseen act of nature,” Undersheriff Brad Johansson said in a statement. “I also appreciate the citizens who jumped into action and went to help the couple. Large tides and winter weather can create rogue waves.”

The incident occurred as people along the Oregon and Washington coasts were being warned of King Tides, which overtake beaches each year on three dates when “the moon comes closest to earth, the earth comes closest to the sun and all three align causing maximum gravitational pull on our oceans,” the city of Cannon Beach, Oregon’s website says.

The dangerous waves started Monday and will continue through Wednesday, according to the website. The first two cycles of King Tides hit Nov. 15-17 and Dec. 13-15, the website says.

This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Couple jumps on log to escape wave, then it rolls over wife and kills her, WA cops say."