The teen tumbled over two waterfalls before he was able to grab onto a rock...he was able to climb up out of the water onto the rock while awaiting help.It took Kern County Sheriff’s Department Search & Swift Water Rescue crews more than an hour to rescue the boy, who was stranded on the rock in the dangerous rapids.Because of they are juveniles the identities of the teenagers was not released by the Kern County Sheriff’s Department spokesman.“I will say that they were lucky...very, very lucky,” said the KCSD spokesman. “People sometimes forget that rivers, like oceans, can have currents too.”
Holiday tragedy averted when teens rescued from Kern River
September 20, 2006
Santa Paula News
Labor Day brought an unexpected emergency - that could have been a holiday tragedy - for a trio of Santa Paula teenagers when they were swept away by a strong current while swimming in the Kern River, according to a Kern County Sheriff’s Department spokesman.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesLabor Day brought an unexpected emergency - that could have been a holiday tragedy - for a trio of Santa Paula teenagers when they were swept away by a strong current while swimming in the Kern River, according to a Kern County Sheriff’s Department spokesman.One boy even tumbled over several waterfalls before he was able to pull himself from the water and wait to be rescued.One teenager had to be hospitalized for swallowing too much water during the incident that started when the three - visiting the river during a family vacation - went swimming and were caught in a strong current.One of the teens was swept into a set of highly dangerous rapids known to locals and kayakers as “Road Kill” for its ferocious churning waters.
