17-year-old boy from Los Angeles drowns in Tule River

A 17-year-old boy from Los Angeles drowned in the Tule River in Tulare County on Sunday.

According to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were told that the teenager went into the river in an area known as “The Stairs” above Springville at about 4 p.m.

He went under rapids for about 10-20 minutes before being pulled out by bystanders.

The victim was unresponsive when he was transported to Sierra View Hospital, where he died.

Central Sierra watersheds are dangerous especially during springtime runoff, and the Tule River is no exception. In 2017, for instance, Tulare County deputies responded to eight fatal drownings and more than two dozen swift-water rescues in a two-month period.

This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 5:33 AM.