An adult male was rescued from the South Yuba River Monday afternoon downstream from the Highway 49 bridge.
A 911 text received by dispatchers prior to 12 noon said that one person was out of the water but stuck on a rock in the middle of the South Yuba River.
Members of the North San Juan Fire Department as well as California State Parks, Nevada County Consolidated, Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol were dispatched as part of a river rescue operation.
CHP helicopter H-20 out of Auburn arrived at the scene of the incident, landing on the old Highway 49 bridge to pick up rescue personnel and to set up a basket to help transport the stranded individual.
H-20 then lowered the basket and rescue personnel into place in the middle of the river about a half-mile downstream from the bridge. The male victim was conscious and seemingly in good spirits when rescue personnel arrived. After lowering the basket with rescue personnel, the individual was then helped into the basket before being raised back up to the CHP helicopter.
CHP H-20 then transported the victim and rescuer back to the old Highway 49 bridge where they were lowered onto the walkway before landing again on the bridge.
Visitors to the rivers of the Sierra Nevada, including the South Yuba River, Bear River, and American River, are encouraged to stay out and stay alive as the spring snowmelt runoff is in effect and waterways are running high, fast and cold.