Firefighters Rescue Man Stuck In SJ Guadalupe River
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Firefighters have rescued a man who somehow fell into the swollen Guadalupe River in San Jose Thursday and ended up stuck in vegetation amid rushing water, a fire spokesman said.
The rescue was carried out at a spot near where state Highway 87 and Interstate 880 come together, San Jose fire Capt. Scott Kouns said.
At 5:15 p.m. the man was "clinging to a piece of wood that got caught in a tree," Kouns said.
A short time later, rescuers used a raft with an outboard motor to reach the man and carry him to safety, Kouns said.
The water level was high, and Kouns said the area where the man was stuck has thick vegetation, which complicated the rescue effort.
"It's like a forest with a lot of water running through it," he said.
He said the man appeared to be "cold but doing OK." He was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
It is not clear how the man fell into the water.
"That's still a mystery. We don't know that," Kouns said.
He said the man was apparently floating down the river clinging to the piece of wood when he got caught in the vegetation.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)
