Eureka City Councilman Larry Glass
A seriously injured woman was safely pulled from Humboldt Bay Sunday thanks to an afternoon kayak trip by Eureka City Councilman Larry Glass.
Rescue efforts by Police and Fire personnel were frustrated by the swiftly moving tide when they spotted Glass kayaking toward them from Arcata Bay. Sources say officers began yelling and waving at Glass and pointing toward the woman in the water.
After towing the woman toward the shore in his peddle-driven kayak, a sheriff’s boat arrived. Deputy Roy Reynolds and Glass were then able to pull the woman from the water into the sheriffs boat and transport her to the ambulance waiting at the boat ramp under the Samoa Bridge.
A press release by Eureka Police (see below) says the woman jumped from the bridge.
For Immediate Release: Sgt Jim Armstrong (707) 441-4044
Woman Saved After Jumping off the Samoa Bridge
On December 28th, 2008 at about 12:20 pm the Eureka Police Department responded to the Samoa Bridge for a report of a woman who had jumped off the Samoa Bridge and into the bay. Officers arrived moments later and saw a female in the bay, still moving, beneath the bridge about 50 yards out from the dock.
EFD personnel were also on scene and had attempted to send a swimmer into the water, however the water was too cold to safely allow the swimmer to attempt to rescue the woman. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard were notified and were responding with a small boat and a helicopter.
While waiting for them to respond, a kayaker, later identified as Eureka City Councilman Larry Glass, paddled to the female’s location in the water and began attempting to bring her to shore. Due to the strong current and the fact that he could not paddle effectively while holding on to the woman, Glass was unable to bring her to shore or within reach of a line thrown by EFD personnel.
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Deputy Roy Reynolds then arrived on scene in an HCSO boat. He and Glass managed to remove the woman from the water and place her in the boat. Reynolds then brought the woman to the boat ramp beneath the bridge where EFD and City Ambulance personnel placed her on a gurney and then inside the ambulance.
The woman was suffering from hypothermia and severe injuries to her extremities from the fall. She was transported to the St Joseph Hospital for treatment.
Sgt Jim Armstrong
Eureka Police Department
604 C Street
Eureka, CA 95501
(707) 441-4060 Fax (707) 441-4334
Holy shit!! Of all the places someone could be on a day like this, Larry was kayaking in just the right place at the right time to save someone from an attempted suicide?! Unbelievable…way to go Larry! You rock!!
I hope the woman is going to be ok, physically and mentally. That sounds like quite a thing to live through, esp. when she was trying to end her life.
Nothing like a peaceful jaunt in the bay in the pouring down rain at the end of December to relieve the post-holiday tension.
It’s amazing the woman didn’t drown after sustaining such serious injuries. Larry was in the right place at the right time.
There he goes againt he caped cruisader. Just when this poor lady thought she could finaly escape the misery of eureka, larry glass steps in with his big nose and forces the lady not to drown. This move shows disrespect to sucical vicims rights to self determination. Can we please stop meddling with nature here. Larry Glass. your just like batman, some people understand you but others will blame you for your deeds.
Check out Craigslist! The parents of the woman are on Rants and Raves, basically having a meltdown. There was some question about whether the information regarding the emergency personnel there at the bridge. Apparently the woman’s mother also jumped from there.
Way to go Mr. Glass.
Kayaking in this weather? Tough guy eh?
dmeral akbar-
a good laugh
Glass- good job you lucky bastard. Not even Arkley has a PR firm good enough to orchistrate this one.
We don’t know yet if she will survive. It sounds like she sustained pretty major injuries and possibly hypothermia. It’s not a joke or a reality tv show, akbar.
It’s hard to believe in a higher power when so many terrible things happen to good people–senseless death and tragedy like what happened to Greg Jennings–but you have to marvel at the coincidence or whatever you want to call it of someone coming upon something like this. Of all the places Larry could have been today, there he was.
If I knew how to pray, I would pray for the woman who tried to end her life when others’ lives are senselessly cut short. I hope she will reconsider whatever led her to cut her life short.
Timing is everything but the real story here is courage on the part of Larry. That bay can be rough with the tide going out, the water if very cold. Glass was already a hero to me and this just cements it. Way to go!
coincidence, fate, karma, etc…
Larry is most likely as shocked as anybody. Way to step up L.G.
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyville – 5th District
Carefully worded there… if he didn’t pull her from the water into his kayak, what did he do? Hold onto her there in the water until the sheriff arrived?
It took two to get her out of the water. Deputy Reynolds couldn’t do it by himself, either.
H, are you saying the deputy is a weakling? Is stands to reason once the deputy arrived, Larry would assist him. That’s not the same thing as the deputy being unable to do it without Larry’s help. No need to push someone down while lifting someone else up.
Well, cool.
I do have to say that my mind went to the opening scene in The Contender. Can’t find it on youtube unfortunately, but then I’d have to blow the ending of the movie for everybody in order to explain its significance to the topic at hand.
That’s gr8 admeral. Did she jump for fears of our local economy going down the tubes for Home Desperate? Good job Larry, but if you knew she was houseless, would you have let her go?
I’m surprised EPD didn’t give her a little push.
No, but you would interpret it that way.
News flash: man in paddle boat holds onto waterlogged woman until sheriff’s boat pulls alongside.
Nice, great for him to do so. Anyone in the same situation would do so. (It’d be illegal to refuse the sheriff’s command, wouldn’t it?)
Just the same, the word “hero” has lost some meaning today. You don’t know what a real hero is. Ask someone who has put their life on the line. We have hundreds of them in this county alone.
Is Larry calling himself a hero? I don’t think so. You belittle the meaning of heroism by its use here.
In a world of good and evil, Muskrat is good. Everyone else is suspect.
The elements weren’t exactly easy today. A high tide was going out and even police and fire were having trouble. It was fortuitous for Larry to show up when he did.
But some will fault him for not pulling out a cape and flying her directly to St. Joe’s himself.
Based on the police report it appears Larry may have saved this woman’s life by going to her rescue before the Sheriffs boat arrived. Why would anyone want to diminish what was apparently a quality act?
Because they are assholes who can only see the world according to their agendas, that’s why.
Have a little compassion people. Jesus H. Christ.
Right McKinleyvillan. That’s why Larry is the “hero” and the other people involved, well, they were physically present, I guess. And one helped Larry pull the woman aboard. That’s worth, something, I guess.
Maybe some of us tired of self-serving tripe. Good for Larry, but don’t blow this totally out of all proportion.
Great story. Great job.
I am blown away by the connections made on Craigslist concerning this incident. The parents were attacking people on The rants and raves. I thought it was someone who was ‘one-tweak-over-the-line,’ if you get my drift. Exclamation marks means BS in my book. The histrionic rants of threats, and impotent bravado, denote some drunk or druggie nonsense. Today, I learned that it is not always the case. this guy really did have a daughter in trouble. He really was scanning anything and everything to find her. True he was going crazy on people who had no connection to it all, and he may still be a drug-addled weirdo, but he was telling the truth about the woman and the Samoa bridge.
Furthermore, Anyone here who would deride Mr. Glass, or diminish his bold action. show themselves to be of very low character. But of course, Anonymous, and Fake-Namers pay no price for their words.
God Bless Our Knight In Shining Armor: Larry Glass, World Class Hero.
I’m knitting him a cape.
Ohhhh, I get it now. Larry is the only hero. That’s why the title reads “LARRY GLASS: Hero” instead of “Larry Glass and Roy Reynolds: Heroes.” That would just suck, having to diminish Larry’s limelight by sharing it with some cop.
OK, I understand. This is more about stoking the PR machine than thanking the people involved. How shallow of you.
Larry’s pretty pro-cop if you haven’t noticed. But don’t let that interrupt your bad-mouthing.
Fortuitous, yes. Heroic, not quite but definately an act of being a good citizen.
and good work to the police, fire, boat sheriff, and ambulance too
“That would just suck, having to diminish Larry’s limelight by sharing it with some cop.”
It’s a cop’s job to do what he did, and should receive his well-deserved credit. However, Larry Glass was not expected to be there and ended up helping the officials complete their task of saving this woman’s life. I’m sure Larry in the heat of the moment decided that helping this woman would be a great PR stunt and help him politically, because he isn’t a real person with compassion. Get real.
What is the true name of the bold MovieDad?
Larry did what any decent human being would have done under the same circumstances. For that, we owe him our thanks.
The other people who worked to save that lady’s life have dedicated themselves to careers helping others. They do their work quietly, without headlines, and they do it well. For that, we owe them our thanks.
And in fact, many of us owe them our lives.
The TS has a non-politicized headline that wasn’t milked for political gain. Hero? Come on. Get real.
Heraldo, he was talking about you, not Larry, unless you are Larry.
Glass just secured his re-election
With the recent court challenge to California’s Good Samartian law, tread carefully!
Mike Thompson is still up for an ambassadorship (Viet Nam?). You can hear the establishment rustling around trying to maintain their place in line for Mike’s job.
Not Larry, though. He is too humble. Draft Larry for US Congress!
Lar-ry! Lar-ry!
I always knew that Larry was a good samaritan.
Not a word about this in the Times-Standard. Appalling. Bring back the Eureka Reporter.
The T-S has it here.
There is a story in the T-S today, you must have missed it. It is basically a reprint of the EPD press release.
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_11328643
You made me smile to think of how the Eureka Reporter would have run this story! GIANT HEADLINE yes, but what would it have said?
And the T-S has a Letter to the Editor today called “True heroes” about two women who saved a man’s life with CPR. My guess is that Larry would not call himself a hero, but that is what we say when people do something to help someone whose life is threatened–whether they are police, fire, doctors, or kayakers who happen to be in the right place at the right time. Larry could have chosen to go the other way for his own safety. But that is not what he did. Whatever word you want to use, what he did saved this woman’s life.
http://www.times-standard.com/letters/ci_11323825
Who is a hero? As defined in the American Heritage Dictionary, “a hero is a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose”
http://www.times-standard.com/letters/ci_11323825
Can someone tell me what a “hero” really is?
What is the reality yardstick for being a hero?
According to the dictionary a hero is the central male figure in a novel, play, etc. Also, a man of great courage, nobility, etc.
Most ‘Nicknames’ highlighted in blue, are links to the poster’s site. Some give their real names, Which I do, others are just as anonymous on their own site as they are on other people’s sites.
Please don’t get me started on the “Anonymous Vs. Actual person” debate. it goes on and on. And here, its a little weird, since this site does not identify its administrator.
But it is a good case in point. The Humboldt Herald is free to wrestle with the “Ultra-Rich” of the region because of its Anonymity. In this case, I say yes, I would want to be Anonymous too, if I was daily incurring the wrath of people who could actually, in truth, ruin your life. Not in some impotent way that Anonymi threaten: “I’ll get you, you dirty Rat!” but in a real way. Mr. Arkley is just one example. I wouldn’t want that guy out to get me. I don’t know that he doesn’t just laugh at the attempt by this site to influence his decisions. But, “Heraldo,” is protected somewhat.
It’s easy to understand why Mr. Simms of the Journal, and the guys from the Times-Standard, resent Anonymous postings. They have to put themselves on the line for their words. they risk having Weirdo’s come at them or their families. I think that makes them careful for the truth. Its easy to slander people anonymously, and it happens all the time.
If you want my name, click on my ‘Handle’
Sims and Driscoll et al. get paid to write. it’s their job to be journalists. Unfortunately it’s also their job to consider the opinions of their bosses, their advertisers, and the powerful and the opinionated public.
Anonymity allows people to say what they really think, and it allows us to read their comments without the preconceived notion of what we think their slant is.
For example, take HumRed–if I didn’t know that he is Bill Wennerholm of the McKinleyville Community Services District, I would probably not find him so offensive on the blog. I’m glad he’s busy somewhere else these days, I don’t miss his foul-mouthed hate rants one bit.
We are all offered the chance to commit acts of heroism, large and small, every day. Larry did the right thing when he had no obligation to do so. Does that make him a hero? It does in my world.
Nice job Larry!
*Anonymous monikors ever changing*
versus
*just always using the word “anonymous”, “Anonymous”, etc.”*
versus
*using a legally identifiable name*
versus
*using a name that more than one commenter uses*
versus
* an administrator who knows all; and all knows no one*
versus
*those group members close to the all knowing who get bits of information to nibble on*
versus
*those who really are individuals beholden to no group*
versus
*an establishment and order which monitors and participates in these local blogs to manipulate mindsets*
versus
*normalcy*.
Anonymity also allows people to NOT SAY what they think; but, what others WANT them to make it sound like how they think. This is just brainwashing technically. Also, anonymity does not allow us to read all comments without knowing the SLANTED political connection, motive, nefariousisms of a secret organizational member trying to slant elections, policy, regulations, etc…
Most notably, transcribing through the namesake of a monikor or (A)anonymous is BY CHOICE. However, by not “showing your cards – sts”, it is clear to many readers that the comment maker is cautious of something; what(?) , is any person’s guess.
FEAR TO USE ONE”S REAL NAME “campaign” is a partially manufactured societal defect of humans most likely caused by the barbarisms of centuries old – if you spoke out that is.
Freedom of Speech – yes.
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyville – 5th District
Moviedad is a nice handle – what’s it mean? Is there a story behind it?
With comments by Anonymous, the reader must focus on the content of the message. There is no danger of “judging a book by its cover” because it comes to the reader without a cover.
It’d be illegal to refuse the sheriff’s command, wouldn’t it?
No it wouldn’t.
cool story… cool guy.
Wow, the comments this brought were so fun! I love your blog. Never a dull moment :o)
I saw the whole thing and if Larry hadn’t been there the lady would have probably drowned. My daughter and I watched the EFD response and our thoughts were that it would have been helpful if they had a rescue surfboard so someone could launch off the shore to make the rescue. Had Larry Glass not been ther I don’t think the lady would have stayed on the surface untill the Deputy got there. The Deputy and Larry connect up, and then both pulled the lady out of the water and into the Deputy’s boat. I was almost like they’d done it before. At first we thought we were watching them retrieve a corpse and we were thrilled to hear the lady yelling, indicating she was alive. Didn’t know it was Larry till I read the News. Good on you guys!
How convenient that Anonymous was there to witness it.
If I witness a car accident with injuries involved, is it legal for me to drive on by and ignore it when an officer beckons my assistance? So too with a woman floundering in the water while I’m in a paddle boat?
Well, there goes the human race. We’re not obligated to do anything. When we do the minimum, we’re lauded as heroes.
Larry and Jager ought to get along fine.
The real question is, is Larry Glass Batman?
Answer: yes.
Ha!
Larry Glass is a hero. I just remebered that Glass was pushed(physically) by Arkley over Larry’s vote for against the marina center.
Anyone who gets shoved by Arkley is doing something right.
Great job Larry! Now get out of the kayak and get back to work.
You almost remembered it right. Larry didn’t vote against the Marina Center (it hasn’t come up for a vote yet), but Arkley shoved Larry in attempts to scare Larry into voting for Arkley’s “project.”
According to Larry, the first part anyway. The second part is your juicing up his allegation.
Leave it to Randy to cover that one up
I can’t believe some of you,
we are talking about a human life here!
Larry did what (I would hope to god) anyone of us would do in that situation.
my wish for you is: should you ever need saved, that somebody would be close enough to help.
Larry played an important part in the rescue, luckily nobody was alone that day, the woman that jumped included…
let’s hope that woman can now get the help she needs in her life.
some of you should take a good long look at your own attitudes.
let’s hope that woman can now get the help she needs in her life.
many thanks to the police, fire and rescue personnel, and to Larry Glass
Al -.-
sorry for the repeat line, I was overwhelmed by schmuckdum…
BIG AL -.-
I second Big Al’s sentiments. As a recreational kayaker, I will continue to practice rescue skills and drills, as well as my training in CPR and lifeguard rescue techniques. I pulled the plug on my plans to put in under the bridge yesterday and paddle that area of the bay. I know I would have done the same thing as Larry did, had I come upon that tragic situation. It wasn’t a simple thing, holding on to a limp or struggling human, while keeping one’s balance on a narrow watercraft. I know I would have been traumatized by the event. I wish every involved in this tragic situation a speedy recovery.
If I witness a car accident with injuries involved, is it legal for me to drive on by and ignore it when an officer beckons my assistance?
Yes. Immoral perhaps, but perfectly legal.
Guaranteed by the 13th Amendment.
…”everyone” involved in this tragic event a speedy recovery.
Larry acted to help someone simply because they were in dire need. That is a quality act by any measure. By the dictionary definition quoted above, the act seems firmly in the category of heroic act. As to whether Larry is a hero overall– I say yes but more so for his longstanding courage in taking on tough issues as an active citizen.
On the other hand, here is the musing part– and not in any way meant to minimalize yesterdays life-saving actions by all involved. It might be posited that in a culture that blatantly praises the “virtues” of selfishness, any act not aimed at one’s own self interest could be termed heroic. The fact that acts of virtue and altruism are common argues against the elevation of greed and selfishness as the only rational or proper motivators. Clearly the common sense goodness of everday folks puts the lie to this pervasive assumption of the infinite growth economy that people should act only for their own self interest and that a community is best served by such a philosophy.– End of musing.
apparently unable to spell my own nom de blog de jour
Kudos to Larry for stepping up to the plate in this tragic incident.
What Chris said. But everybody really does need to rent The Contender after this. Was anybody playing Ring of Fire at the time?
Larry is a stand-up guy and might well be part of Eureka’s leadership for another 12 years. He has r-e-s-p-e-c-t.
Wow, you can sure tell the cops when they post. So, we shouldn’t call Larry a hero because cops and firemen do this kind of thing for a career? What the hell does that have to do with this?
Sounds like some folks wish they had some of that courage themselves.
I’ll bet he gets pretty sick of all this attention before too long, if not already.
Ms. Rose, Moviedad is the name of a movie review column I used to write for the Hoopa Newspaper during the 90′s.
We don’t need to quibble over terms. Larry was there and did the right thing in a difficult moment.
That’s a hero in my book.
That just about anyone else in the same situation would also help, does not diminish the fact that he did a very cool thing.
Some people will argue over anything! This incident proves it–some people will say mean,accusatory things about a man even after he acted to save someone’s life, if it fits with their agenda. Anything to not have to think kindly about someone you disagree with.
Rose is an exceptions, duly noted.
Wow, I get home from work and checked out my favorite blog. What a story. Life just turns the page when you least expect it. Who knows what the woman’s reasons are, but Larry, you’ve got my vote for always trying to do the right thing. Some of you just can’t seem to give credit and would probably been all over Larry if things hadn’t turned as they did. Let’s just say he “might” not have been able to hang on to her and a different outcome “might” have happened, not because he didn’t try but for reasons that “might” have been out of his control. Let’s all just be glad he was there and the woman has another chance at life. You’re the man Larry, so keep on rowing your own boat!!!
I own a business by Larry’s and I have seen Larry in numerous stressful situations and he really keeps his cool like no one else I know. The angels were looking out for that poor lady when Larry went out on the water. I hope she survives and gets the physical and emotional help she needs.
The fact that Larry helped her does not surprise me at all. Thank you Larry! I know that you would do the same for me if I needed your help.
Nice job, Larry. A true civic leader.
Yes, paddling in the water is a quality I look for in all of my leaders.
you probably should!
Cathy, I remember during the stress of the 2006 campaign when everybody was at each other’s throats, Larry had a knack for uttering something hilarious that would lift the burden off the room.
Great job by Larry!
Emergency personnel are heroes every day in my book. They deserve huge thanks for this example of coordinated effort.
But they could NOT have saved this life without Larry. And Larry could not have helped if he didn’t have the good sense and planning to be wearing a wetsuit and life-vest. Hauling 150-200 ? pounds of human from a narrow wobbly craft in icy-cold water with a treacherous outgoing tide is a very real threat to the person making the effort – here Larry. So, it’s not just a “right place at the right time anybody would do the same” kind of circumstance. It’s a smart, fit, responsible and caring human being — my kind of leader in fact — being in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. Way to go dude.
Yeah Larry, you da man!! I’m envisioning some kind of super hero outfit for you. A job well done by the emergency responders too. All of you deserve a metal for bravery.
Larry should run for Bonnie’s seat when she retires. Otherwise we’re gonna end up with Jeff Leonard or Nancy Flemming.
You can try to explain why people do what they do, but the thing about Larry is that he is not motivated by fear. Many people probably have wondered, could I have done what he did to save that person’s life? And of course being prepared, being in the right place at the right time, and being physically able to do it are all factors. But how motivated you are by fear is another–many people’s first instinct is to protect themselves. You can see it in many elected officials; they are afraid to stand up to the powerful elite, to the point where many of them won’t return your phone calls if you aren’t one of The Important People. Most of us are also extremely fearful of looking foolish or being ridiculed, criticized etc. But if you have ever watched a city council meeting, you know that whatever it is–the Chamber of Commerce, gang violence, etc.– Larry is a rare elected representative in that he is not afraid to stand up for what is fair rather than just look to see what can this person do for me and my career. And that sometimes can be just as heroic as saving someone’s life, if you ask me. To take life on instead of protecting and insulating yourself from it-that is something to aspire to.
I knew I liked Larry for some reason other that knowing him for 28 years. Well done.
Hi there, I couldn’t find any way to contact you, and so I really hope that you read this comment. I own a website about ladies wetsuits, and thought you would like to swap links with me. I have submitted my contact address in case you would like to get in touch. Thanks.
Hey Roxy, Baby,
I’d love to swap links with you, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
Thanks ever so much for reaching out.