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US News

Heart-stopping moment man is rescued by helicopter from raging LA river

By
Snejana Farberov
Published March 16, 2023
Updated March 16, 2023, 1:31 p.m. ET

Dramatic video shows the moment a man desperately clinging to a wall after being swept into the rushing waters of the Los Angeles River was rescued by a heroic first responder suspended from a helicopter.

Los Angeles Fire Department ground and air crews responded to the rain-swollen river south of Washington Boulevard in the Boyle Heights neighborhood around 5 p.m. Wednesday after getting a report about a person in distress.

Heart-pounding aerial footage shot by KTLA’s Sky5 captured the man desperately holding onto a “concrete sheer wall” as he waited to be pulled up by an LAFD member who was lowered on a cable from a helicopter.

Muddy waters are seen in the video churning all around the stranded man following recent rainstorms that drenched parts of California and caused rivers to rise.

The rescuer struggles for several minutes to reach the terrified victim due to high winds blowing him off course.

A man was discovered clinging to a wall in the swollen Los Angeles River Wednesday evening.
A man was discovered clinging to a wall in the swollen Los Angeles River on Wednesday evening. Reuters
The LAFD dispatched air and ground crews to rescue the man stranded in the rain-swollen river in Boyle Heights.
The LAFD dispatched air and ground crews to rescue the man stranded in the rain-swollen river in Boyle Heights. Reuters
A rescuer was lowered from a helicopter on a cable into the river to hoist up the victim.
A rescuer was lowered from a helicopter on a cable into the river to hoist up the victim. Reuters

Finally, the LAFD first responder is able to grab hold of the man and attach a hoist to his waterlogged body.

After a few tense moments, during which both men ended up in the fast-moving water up to their chests, they were pulled to safety by the LAFD helicopter hovering overhead.

The unnamed man was transported to LAC+USC Medical Center to be treated for hypothermia, but no other injuries were reported.  

Both the man and the LAFD member briefly ended up in the muddy waters as the rescuer struggled to attach a hoist to the victim.
Both the man and the LAFD member briefly ended up in the muddy waters as the rescuer struggled to attach a hoist to the victim. Reuters
The air crew member managed to secure the man and pull him out of the river.
The air crew member managed to secure the man and pull him out of the river. Reuters
The helicopter airlifted the victim to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia from an exposure to cold water.
The helicopter airlifted the victim to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia from exposure to the cold water. Reuters

It was not immediately known how he wound up in the river, or how long he had spent in the frigid water awaiting rescue.