Man hospitalized after kayak capsizes in Sacramento River
SACRAMENTO - A kayaker was pulled from the Sacramento River and rushed to the hospital in critical condition after his kayak capsized north of Discovery Park Thursday morning.
At about 9:15 a.m., rescue crews responded to the 1300 block of Garden Highway after receiving a report that a man was in the water near Chevys, just north of the confluence.
Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department, said the person who called 911 tried to rescue the kayaker by getting into a pontoon boat.
Sylvia said this was after the person tried to throw a life ring out at the man, but the person told rescue crews that the man was too weak to grab the ring.
When rescue crews arrived, they found the Good Samaritan stopped the body but couldn't grab the man. This is when fire crews were able to pull the man out of the water and start CPR.
Sylvia said the man was rushed to the hospital under CPR.
The man is believed to be in his 50s, lives on a boat upstream and appeared to be recreating. Rescue crews estimate he was in the water for about 20-30 minutes and about a quarter mile.
He was not wearing a life jacket and water levels were high. Sylvia said the combination of those two is a "recipe for disaster."
