Large logs are no stranger to beaches on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Whether alone or stacked haphazardly on top of each other, they’re an almost iconic presence along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and down the Pacific Coast.
And signs posted at beaches saying “Beach logs can be dangerous” sometimes prompt a snicker.
But, as Amy Denell learned one month ago, logs become extremely dangerous when combined with the power of the ocean.
The 40-year-old Blaine resident and her boyfriend, Kevin Jablonski, were walking Sept. 30 along Fourth Beach near Kalaloch when she saw a wounded Canada goose in the surf.
Wearing tall rubber boots, she walked up to the bird.
A few moments later, a wave slammed a log into Denell, crushing her right leg and pinning her underwater for about 30 seconds.
“All I can remember is getting hit by something really hard,” she said Friday after a medical checkup at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles.
Could only scream
Jablonski grabbed Denell after another large wave freed her.
She walked a few steps and fell, finally realizing the damage to her leg.
“All I could do was scream,” Denell said, her eyes tearing up while reflecting on that day.
With no cell phone service available, Jablonski left her on another log on the beach and ran for help.
After reaching other beachgoers, who were able to phone 9-1-1 for emergency help, a team of 17 Olympic National Park rangers and emergency medical responders were called to the scene, Jablonski said.
Denell was carried on a stretcher to an ambulance and transported to Forks Community Hospital where her ankle was reset.
The next day, Denell spent eight hours in surgery at OMC in Port Angeles to put her leg back together. In all, it took four plates and 22 screws.
“The doctor said he put Humpty Dumpty back together again,” Jablonski said.
The doctor, Bob Watkins, is the same orthopedic surgeon who saved the leg of Ukrainian sailor Vyacheslav Kornya, nicknamed Slava, in 2006. Slava was injured during a storm aboard a cargo shop and airlifted to the hospital.
“I don’t know how we can repay him for what he did,” Denell said.
Watkins said Denell, who has to use a wheelchair, will walk again, but it could take over a year.
“It was a very scary situation and an ugly, ugly injury, but she is doing OK,” he said.
Dave Reynolds, park spokesman, said beachgoers should be cautious of logs, whether on the sand or in the water.
“It’s fairly rare, but it does happen,” he said of log-caused injuries.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
