Man Rescued From River Directly Under 101 Freeway

INCIDENT DATE/TIME: 2/4/24 5:56pm
LOCATION: 300 W Main Street (Corrected location was under SB 101 at the Ventura River)
AREA/CITY: Ventura
DETAILS:

1. A man was discovered stuck on a small island underneath the SB 101 in the Ventura River
2. Firefighters arrived and used an aerial ladder truck with a rope system to lower down a rescue swimmer
3. The rescue swimmer could not be lowered directly down due to the island creating a challenging rescue
4. A rope bag had to be thrown to the man so he could pull the rescue swimmer closer
5. The man being rescued was persistent on putting his phone in his mouth to save it
6. Mid-rescue a large tree branch in the river struck the rescue swimmer and the man
7. The man was rescued and assessed by paramedics
8. Both directions of the 101 freeway were shut down at the Ventura River for a short amount of time

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