Thursday, 02 August 2007 09:31

Couple and Child Rescued Near Electra Rd Last Night

slide16A young couple with a baby found themselves in a predicament Wednesday evening on the river along Electra Road. Apparently the couple had arrived earlier in the day and crossed over the river to the Calaveras side by wading in the low water. 
All went well until they decided it was time to end their day and head back to their car still on the Amador county side of the river. What they didn't realize slide13 is that later in the day the river flow is increased by PG&E releases, and because of those water volume increases the river was deeper and faster than when they initially crossed.  Clearly, to the couple it was definitely not safe to cross the river with the young child. Around 7:40 pm emergency services received a call about the stranded family and Amador County Sheriff's Deputies, Jackson Fire Department and CalFire crews all responded to the scene. Because it was getting dark, time was of the essence, so a plan was put in place to have a group of firefighters use a ladder to bring them across a spillway, crossing the large gaps on the ladder. They crossed slowly and methodically over each gap.  It took about 30-40 minutes to make it to the Amador side.  In the end everyone was safe and sound thanks to the coordination for emergency personnel.