Kern River rescue requires helicopter crew
By The Bakersfield Californian
County sheriff's and volunteer search-and-rescue crews pulled a 19-year-old San Jose man, Josh Thomas, from the Kern River on Sunday afternoon. A sheriff's helicopter crew eventually plucked Thomas from a rock he was clinging to near a powerhouse at the mouth of the canyon. The incident closed Highway 178 in both directions for about half an hour shortly before 5 p.m.
Sheriff's Sgt. Mark Baldwin said Thomas had never been in the Kern River before and wasn't aware of how swift it is. He was swimming, got caught in a current and managed to grab onto a rock.
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A member of the Kern County Sherriff's air support unit holds onto Josh Thomas of San Jose after rescuing him from the Kern River on Sunday. Thomas was swept away by the current while wading with his family in the Kern River, but managed to hold onto a rock until help arrived.
Rescue personnel hold onto Josh Thomas as a member of the Kern County Sheriff's air support unit drops in to rescue him. Rescuers initially tried to rescue Thomas with a boat, but used a helicopter when they were unable to reach him.
"He was basically hanging on with both hands," Baldwin said, adding that boiling rapids were just a short way downstream. "He was very lucky."
An attempted boat rescue didn't work out, so the air unit was called in. Members of the Bakersfield swift water rescue team, one of 11 volunteer search-and-rescue teams, assisted.
Thomas refused medical attention at the scene and was reunited with his family, Baldwin said.
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