SPOKANE, Wash. — A man was rescued from the Spokane River Wednesday afternoon after getting pinned to partially submerged trees by the strength of the current.
The Spokane Fire Department responded to reports of a distressed male in the Spokane River around 4:30 p.m., Wednesday. The man was caught in the river near the People's Park by Sandifur bridge.
Fire crews on scene determined the speed of the current would make a shore rescue impossible. Instead, they were able to retrieve the man using their jet-powered boat that was able to launch from the TJ Meenach area and quickly travel upriver.
The man was evaluated by paramedics on scene and later released without serious injury. The man said he had been inner tubing near the shore when the tube was grabbed by the current that deposited him against the partially submerged trees. He was not wearing a life jacket and could not swim.
