A Rancho Cordova family of four and their dog had to be rescued by helicopter from Gilligan\u2019s Island in the American River on Saturday after their raft ran into a submerged obstacle.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds like they were pretty lucky,\u201d John Havicon, chief ranger with Sacramento County Park rangers, said of the family \u2013 Richard and Jennifer Rice, both 34, and their two sons, Seth, 16, and Nathaniel, 13. \u201cThey all had life jackets on, so they were pretty smart. Things worked out well for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard Rice said Monday that Nathaniel remained at UC Davis Medical Center, where he was taken Saturday with mild hypothermia and to be treated for an underlying illness.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was definitely scary,\u201d Rice said of the ordeal. \u201cBut everyone was great along the whole process.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the past five years, the family celebrated Memorial Day weekend by rafting on the American River. This year they brought along their 3-month-old Great Dane puppy, Marmaduke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was the first time we had our own raft, instead of renting one,\u201d said Rice, an information security consultant.<\/p>\n
At 2 p.m. Saturday, they got their Party Island raft into the river just below the Sunrise Boulevard bridge, planning to get to William B. Pond Recreation Area, just shy of Watt Avenue. They towed a smaller raft containing an ice chest, car keys and cellphones. Rice had picked up four life jackets from a fire station earlier.<\/p>\n
Everything was going fine until about 7:30 p.m., when the raft approached the Arden rapids near River Bend Park. \u201cAs we were making the decision to go right or left, the river made the decision for us,\u201d said Rice. The current took the family to the left, where, Rice said, an empty raft was caught in the middle of the river on something, which he thinks was a log.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did everything was could to avoid that part, but ended up hitting it square on,\u201d he said. \u201cThe raft was not maneuverable at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
The collision caused Nathaniel to fall backward into the water. \u201cI fell right out afterwards, chasing him down, and Marmaduke came after us,\u201d recalled Rice. \u201cI was able to catch up with Nate, about 300-400 feet past where the boat was, and get over to the side of the river.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trio made it to Gilligan\u2019s Island, while the raft with Jennifer and Seth was filling with water, said Rice. They were able to get out of the raft, grab the smaller raft and get to land, but on the other side of the river. About 15 minutes later, they reached Gilligan\u2019s Island by using the smaller raft, Rice said.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, Nathaniel began experiencing health problems, his father said.<\/p>\n
Rice resisted calling 911 right away, he said, because he hoped to get off the island and get to a second car they\u2019d parked at William B. Pond Recreation Area.<\/p>\n
But he was unable to get across the river. \u201cI\u2019m a decent swimmer, but I had a hard time,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was impossible to swim upriver.\u201d<\/p>\n
Havicon said the American River was flowing at 1,750 cubic feet per second this weekend, and that the current was probably faster where the family was, as the river narrows at that point.<\/p>\n
About 8 p.m., Jennifer Rice called 911 since Nathaniel\u2019s condition started to worsen. \u201cWe got patched to the rescue team, and they realized we were at a point which was not accessible by land, so they had a helicopter come get us,\u201d said Richard Rice.<\/p>\n
At that time, Falcon 30, a helicopter with Placer County sheriff\u2019s office, was in the area. Rice said he used the family cellphones\u2019 flashlight function to guide the pilot.<\/p>\n
About 9 p.m., Nathaniel and Jennifer were picked by the helicopter and taken to a waiting Sacramento Metro Fire ambulance near Rod Beaudry Drive. Richard, Seth and Marmaduke joined them about a half-hour later, and Nathaniel was taken to the hospital.<\/p>\n
The family\u2019s rescue was one of three made on the American River this Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n
A man had jumped off a raft to get a paddle at the San Juan rapids about noon Saturday, but didn\u2019t know how to swim. \u201cThey got to him just in time,\u201d said Havicon, the chief ranger. Sunday, a woman fell off a raft and was staying afloat but started to panic, so rangers plucked her to safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty mild for Memorial Day weekend,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have a lot of people out here, so it\u2019s a busy weekend for us compared to the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three park rangers patrolled a 23-mile stretch of the American River, from Hazel Avenue to Discovery Park, by boat.<\/p>\n
This season, there have been at least 10 rescues or calls for assistance on the American River, but no deaths. \u201cWe average six drownings a year, but we have not had any this year,\u201d said Havicon.<\/p>\n
More at SacBee.com<\/a> >>><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Rancho Cordova family of four and their dog had to be rescued by helicopter from Gilligan\u2019s Island in the American River on Saturday after their raft ran into a submerged obstacle. \u201cIt sounds like they were pretty lucky,\u201d John Havicon, chief ranger with Sacramento County Park rangers, said of the family \u2013 Richard and … Continue reading Rancho Cordova Family Rescued After American River Rafting Accident<\/span>