California

Man swept into river channel under Los Angeles street calls 911, firefighters say

Wwater races down the concrete-lined channel of the swollen Los Angeles River, under the North Broadway Bridge near downtown Los Angeles, in 2019. On Tuesday, firefighters rescued a man who had been swept into an underground channel of the river.
Wwater races down the concrete-lined channel of the swollen Los Angeles River, under the North Broadway Bridge near downtown Los Angeles, in 2019. On Tuesday, firefighters rescued a man who had been swept into an underground channel of the river. John Antczak Associated Press

A man rescued from a covered channel of the Los Angeles River worked with 911 dispatchers to help firefighters bring him to safety rescuers reported.

The 26-year-old man was swept away by the river at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, but managed to stay in contact with 911 dispatchers as the current pulled him into the underground channel, Los Angeles firefighters said in an alert.

Firefighters on the street above the channel removed manhole covers and honked their horns to try to locate him, the alert said.

The man told dispatchers when the horns sounded loudest and firefighters rescued him from the nearest manhole, according to the alert. He had minor injuries and mild hypothermia.

A powerful Pacific storm slammed Los Angeles and Southern California on Tuesday, KTLA reported.

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This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Man swept into river channel under Los Angeles street calls 911, firefighters say."

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Don Sweeney
The Sacramento Bee
916-321-1028
Don Sweeney has been a newspaper reporter and editor in California for more than 35 years. He is a service reporter based at The Sacramento Bee.
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