Location: Kern River

Incident Date: 5/27/17

Incident Time: Various

Case Number: 17-06349, 17-06344, and 17-06356

Victim: Adult male

City: Kern River

Posted by: Dispatch

The Tulare County Sheriff's Swiftwater Dive Rescue Team responded to three calls for assistance on the Kern River Saturday, May 27, 2017, to start the Memorial weekend holiday.

The first two calls for service were from commercial rafting companies upriver from Headquarters Campground at Tombstone Rapids, which is a class IV rapid and Tequila Shoot Rapid which is also a class IV.

Eleven people were rescued from various locations along the river and escorted to safety by the SDRT.

The last call was to assist a separate commercial rafting company who had subjects fall from the boat while navigating Cables Rapid up river from Camp 3 on the Kern River. One subject was recovered and became unresponsive. CPR was started and the 40-year-old male was later transported to Kern Valley Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

Though these factors did not contribute to today’s incidents, The Tulare County Sheriff's Office wishes to remind everyone to use safety devices such as Personal Flotation Devices and keep children under adult supervision, and don't enter the water when consuming alcoholic beverages.