Four hospitalized after sailboat washes ashore late Saturday night

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Four people were hospitalized with minor injuries late Saturday night after their boat drifted onto shore at a Pacifica beach, police said.

The incident began around 11:05 p.m. when officers and fire personnel responded to a report of sailboat in distress near Linda Mar Beach. A Pacifica man and his wife were driving by when it happened. There, they found that a 33-foot sailboat had run aground on the beach.

"The boat was being rocked back and forth. Then a lady jumped off and landed on her face," said Heiko Gieraths, a good Samaritan. "She couldn't move and I was worried the boat was going to come back over, so I ran and picked her up. She had a broken wrist."

The boat's occupants were described as a 24-year-old Spokane, Washington woman, a 33-year-old Crescent City man, a 49-year-old Long Creek, Oregon woman and a 20-year-old woman also from Spokane, Washington. The four received medical assistance at the scene and were then taken to a hospital, police said.

The boat's owners said they were experiencing engine problems before the boat drifted ashore, according to police.