Family friend attempts to rescue 7-month-old from Kaweah River. Both in critical condition
.JPG "The Kaweah River near Woodlake, where a 7-month-old baby boy and a man fell in June 26. The baby is in stable condition, and the man who rescued him is out of the hospital.")
A 7-month-old baby boy and family friend remained in critical condition Wednesday after falling into the Kaweah River in Woodlake.
The Visalia family and friends were on the river, in individual floatation devices of the type used in swimming pools , near Road 212 around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
All of the them overturned in a turbulent area of the river and the 7-month-old went under and began to go downstream, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said.
The family soon lost sight of the baby and called 911. There had been three adults and three children floating on the river, which included the baby, the sheriff’s office said.
A 37-year-old family friend located the baby in the water from the bank and jumped in and got the baby out of the river.
The sheriff's office said a 7-year-old boy assisted the baby's mother in resuscitating the baby. The child had a pulse, the sheriff’s office said.
The family friend who located the baby had to be pulled from the water by Woodlake police, the first law enforcement agency to arrive. He remains in stable but critical condition at Kaweah Delta Medical Center. Woodlake police assisted with CPR.
The baby remains in critical condition at Valley Children’s in the pediatric intensive care unit. No alcohol was involved in the incident, the sheriff's office said.
The incident is under investigation, the sheriff's office said. The names of those involved were not released.
They were not wearing life jackets, the sheriff's office said. The incident occurred in the area where the Friant-Kern canal goes beneath the Kaweah River, officials said.
It's legal to enter the Kaweah River, but the sheriff's office advises people to use personal flotation devices, especially life jackets.
"If you have them, please use them," said Lt. Duane Cornett. "The water is cold. Even though it does look smooth on the surface, it's moving very quickly below the surface. People don't realize that at times and they will get swept away."
Reporter Lewis Griswold contributed to this story.
This story was originally published June 26, 2018 at 9:59 PM.