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Photo: Malibu Wedding Crashed By Cliffside Helicopter Rescue
Weddings are often full of unexpected twists that can rattle the bride and groom: a cliffside helicopter rescue is usually not one of them. But last week, a couple from Kansas City handled just such a surprise gracefully when a Los Angeles County Fire rescue helicopter crashed their Malibu beach wedding while rescuing a climber stuck on nearby cliffs.
Halfway through their wedding ceremony, David and Jihan Chesher noticed rescue vehicles gathering around the cliffs of Point Dume, a popular climbing spot next to where the wedding took place. Soon after a helicopter came around the cliff to retrieve a climber trapped on the rocks above, according to a local NBC affiliate in Kansas City. The Los Angeles County Fire rescue helicopter successfully retrieved the climber, Adam, using a challenging pickoff hoist rescue maneuver, and brought him down safely.
The couple seemed to handle the mid-wedding entertainment in stride—happy that the climber was safe and laughing off the situation—and after the ceremony even received a visit from the rescued climber who apologized and offered to buy them a wedding gift.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department also emailed the couple with an apology and told them they planned to use video from the rescue—including views of the wedding—in a training video. No word yet if they're sending a gift.
(h/t LA Observed)
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