SPOKANE, Wash. — Firefighters rescued an elderly man from the Spokane River in Riverfront Park on Monday morning after some alert Avista workers first spotted him.
The Avista employees were working to remove debris from a strainer near the Skate Ribbon at about 6:45 a.m. when one crewmember heard a man calling for help, according to the Spokane Fire Department (SFD). The crewmember then spotted a person's head above the water, prompting Avista employees to throw the victim a life ring and call 911.
When SFD crews arrived, the found the man in the water described and hypothermic and weakened from the river's temperature. Crews placed ladders into the river to rescue the man but he was too weak to exit on his own, according to SFD.
The SFD Technical Rescue team got into the water and placed a rescue harness on the man, utilizing the ladder as a lever. The man was safely picked up and brought to shore, where he was treated by SFD and paramedics, fire officials said.
The man was taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. It's unclear how he ended up the river.