Astoria-based rescue swimmer dies in accident

Published 8:58 am Monday, March 9, 2026

By Staff

Astoria Coast Guard crew member Tyler Jaggers died Friday. Jaggers, a rescue swimmer and aviation survival technician, second class, had responded Friday, Feb. 27 to a medical evacuation request for a stroke victim off the coast of Washington near the Canadian border when "a tragic accident" occurred.

Astoria Coast Guard crew member Tyler Jaggers died March 5 after “a tragic accident” while working to help a stroke victim on a ship off the north Washington coast, the Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter Association said in a statement.

Before he died, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the top military honors for heroism, and he was promoted to petty officer.

Most poignantly, Jaggers’ father aided in having him symbolically engaged to his girlfriend, Cassandra Weaver. She became his fiancee at the hospital bedside when his father placed a ring on her hand.

“What I didn’t realize was that he had recently told some of his closest buddies that he was getting ready to propose,” she wrote on social media. “So yesterday, surrounded by the people who love him most, his family carried out the proposal on Tyler’s behalf.”

Wearing the ring, she held his hand. “I always told him I didn’t care if he proposed with a Ring Pop — I said yes.”

The Coast Guard has not detailed exactly what happened, citing a pending investigation. However, CGRHA President Rick McElrath said Jaggers fell as he was being lowered to the ship’s deck from a helicopter.

He was initially transported to Victoria General Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and later to Joint Base Lewis McCord in Washington, according to Krystal Wolfe, a Coast Guard media relations official.

“Jaggers was one of 387 active AST Rescue Swimmers currently serving on active duty in the United States Coast Guard,” the CGRHA statement said. “Since the program’s inception, only 1,105 individuals past and present have earned the right to wear the Gold Fins. The AST rating is one of the most selective in the U.S. Armed Forces, with an attrition rate among the highest of any military training program in the country.

“The Distinguished Flying Cross was presented by Admiral Kevin E. Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Phillip N. Waldron in a ceremony with Jaggers’ family. Admiral Lunday said Jaggers “demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of extreme danger” and “represents the very best of our Service and the Aviation Rescue Swimmer community.”

“Tyler was the best of us,” said J. Butch Flythe, USCG Rescue Swimmer No. 5, vice president of the CGHRSA. “He earned his Gold Fins the way every rescue swimmer does, by refusing to quit. He answered every call without hesitation and served with a selflessness that defines this community. Our commitment now is to his family, his crew and the entire AST community. We will carry his name forward.”

“The loss of Tyler Jaggers is felt across the entire search and rescue community,” said Rick McElrath, USCG Rescue Swimmer No. 17, president of the CGHRSA. “Tyler lived our creed every day: So Others May Live. That was not a motto to him. It was how he served and how he lived. The CGHRSA stands with the Jaggers family, the aircrew and every member of Air Station Astoria. We are here today, and we will be here in the months and years ahead. This Brotherhood does not leave anyone behind.”

The CGHRSA is coordinating support for the Jaggers family, the flight crew and the broader Air Station Astoria community. Those wishing to contribute can donate directly at bit.ly/CGHRSADonations.

An outpouring of support from fellow Coast Guard members has flooded social media. Thousands of Coasties, friends and family members have sent heartfelt messages and prayers.