A swimmer that was spotted struggling in the American River Sunday afternoon is reportedly in critical condition after being pulled from the waters by rescuers down stream.

Rescue personnel responded to the 1600 block of the American River Parkway trail Sunday just after 2:30 p.m. after receiving a 911 call reporting the swimmer in trouble. 

Fortunately, Sacramento Metropolitan’s helicopter rescue teams were training in the area and able to get to the victim quickly. 

With the combination of the helicopter team and two rescue boats in the water, along with assistance be Sacramento County park rangers, the victim was located further down stream and pulled from the waters in the area of Clay Banks, a popular area for swimming not from the Sunrise Bridge in Rancho Cordova. 

According to Metro Fire Captain Parker Wilbourn, the victim was in critical condition and was transported to an area hospital. The person was not wearing a life jacket, according to Metro Fire reports. 

Author: Bill Sullivan

Bill Sullivan has over 25 years of professional journalism and content creation experience in which he has earned 37 professional awards. He is the co-founder/publisher of Folsom Times an All Town Media LLC product.