After Falling Through Ice In Tahoe Area, 10-Year-Old Girl Rescued By Bay Area Search Team

CASTLE CREEK (KCBS) -- A 10-year-old girl thrown into freezing cold water when a snow bridge collapsed in the Tahoe area Sunday was rescued by a Bay Area search and rescue crew that was in the area undergoing training.

Lieutenant Doug Pittman with the Marin County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team says the officers used their training, and specialized equipment to pull 10 year old Samantha White to safety.

"It was just by accident that our team was in the area. It is fortunate. I can't imagine how she felt initially, but it must have been a big sign of relief to see my team show up and be there to help her out," Pittman said.

This is not the first time that the team's training has been tested during a training session.  Pittman says that while learning rescue techniques in Yosemite a few years ago, the crew was the first to come upon someone falling over one of the park's waterfalls.