Swimmer Almost Drowns in River
A swimmer who was rescued from the San Diego River after spending 30 minutes under water was in critical condition at Sharp Memorial Hospital Saturday night.
The unidentified swimmer, described by lifeguards as a male between the ages of 16 and 20, was being maintained on life support, according to a nursing supervisor at the hospital.
Divers from the San Diego lifeguard service’s river rescue team found the man suspended in about 10 feet of water in a weeded area of the river under I-805 about 5:40 p.m., said Lt. Charles Wright of the lifeguard service.
He had been swimming in heavily silted water with a group of about 10 to 15 friends in the 2600 block of Camino Del Rio North, when all of them became exhausted, according to San Diego police. The others were able to reach the river bank and one ran to summon police and paramedics, authorities said.
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