https://www.kdrv.com/news/klamath-river-rescue-a-success-for-deputies-cal-fire-and-a-68-year-old-man/article_4bf7bba2-6a18-11ee-a3f7-db2b15ae60ed.html
Klamath River rescue a success for Deputies, CAL FIRE and a 68-year-old man
By: Cinthia Cortez KDRMV.com
Oct 13, 2023
SISKIYOU COUNTY, Cal. -- Bodycam video this week shows a successful rescue by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office of a man stranded in the Klamath River. The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office says its deputies and the CAL FIRE Siskiyou Unit collaborated when they were alerted to a kayaker trapped in the Klamath river after his kayak overturned Monday.
The Sheriff's Office wrote on social media:
"We are extremely fortunate to have deputies, dispatchers, and emergency response partners that do not hesitate to be of service when they can, and we are grateful for their continued commitment to keep the citizens of Siskiyou County and the north state safe.
We also urge anyone recreating on the river this fall to do so with caution, as cooling temperature combined with cold water provides less opportunity for your body to recover once your core temperature has been lowered. Even when wearing cold-weather gear, like a wetsuit, an inadvertent swim can quickly lead to hypothermia, as the subject of this rescue experienced. As in all cases with outdoor recreation, plan for the worst, but hope for the best.
NewsWatch 12 first reported Thursday night about the advisory that day from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).
It says two of its deputies responded to a call Monday to help save a 68-year-old man clinging to a downed tree in the Klamath River north of Yreka, approximately ¼ mile south of the Ash Creek Bridge.
SCSO says Deputies Urrutia and Hanna located the man in the river and met his wife who was following her husband's progress in a vehicle as he kayaked that afternoon. She explained her husband's kayak overturned, and he was swept downriver, and "Though the man eventually grabbed a submerged tree branch, he was unable to pull himself out of the swift current and onto shore."
The video shows work by the deputies to toss the kayaker a throw line to rescue him from the water, but SCSO says, "it quickly became apparent that he would need medical attention when his speech grew incoherent and he was too weak to stand. While this man was wearing the proper safety gear for fall kayaking - a helmet, neoprene suit, and a life vest - his time in the frigid water was sufficient to induce hypothermia."
SCSO says a CAL FIRE Siskiyou Unit team was called to help the deputies in their rescue, and the man was transported by ambulance to Fairchild Medical Center to be treated.
It says, "Upon conclusion of the incident, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued a Commendation to Deputy Urrutia and Deputy Hanna for the courage and professionalism they displayed during the rescue."
