Video shows man clinging to overturned canoe in Schuylkill River, 2 officers injured during rescue
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two Philadelphia police officers have been injured while rescuing a boater who overturned in the Schuylkill River early Wednesday morning.
It happened near the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct in the 3800 block of Falls Road in Fairmount Park, around 5 a.m.
Witnesses called 911 to report an overturned canoe and a man yelling for help in the river.
Police and marine rescue crews were dispatched to the scene.
Action News has obtained exclusive video showing the man as he clung to the overturned canoe as rescuers raced to get to him.
Officials said the boater -- a man in his 60s -- ran into issues at around 4 a.m. and that the canoe somehow started taking on water and then flipped over.
He had already been in the water for nearly an hour before being discovered.
Witnesses said they lost sight of him since he was under the bridge, but they could hear him yelling for help.
The marine unit was able to finally pull him out of the water around 6 a.m., meaning he had been clinging to the canoe for roughly two hours before being rescued.
Action News was there when the ambulance took him to the hospital.
Officials said he's stable but needs to be evaluated after being in the cold water for two hours.
During the rescue, two officers were injured after slipping on rocks near the shoreline. They were both taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out. There is no word on the extent of the officers' injuries.
