Los Angeles: An aerial video shows a helicopter rescue of a man clinging to a wall for his life amid severe weather conditions along the Los Angeles River.
The heart-stopping footage depicts a first responder suspended over the rain-swollen river near Washington Boulevard in the Boyle Heights area, as he successfully saves the man from his precarious situation.
Following the successful rescue operation, the man was immediately taken to LAC+USC Medical Center to receive treatment for hypothermia. Luckily, no other injuries were reported.
The dramatic footage, captured by KTLA’s Sky5, revealed the man struggling to keep himself afloat in the murky floodwaters, while a rescue team member attempted to reach him multiple times.
Due to the relentless high winds and rain, the rescue mission seemed to have been hindered, but the first responder eventually managed to grab hold of the waterlogged man. After securing a harness around him, they were both lifted to safety by the helicopter crew, with broadcasters pointing out the man’s visibly red hands and face as he was being airlifted.
It remains unclear how the man ended up in the river or how long he spent in the freezing waters before the rescue took place. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of residents are still under evacuation orders as other Californians struggle with power outages, landslides, and flooding caused by the severe winter deluge.
