Dramatic video shows first responders saving a woman who was swept away by the swift current in California’s Kern River over the weekend.
A bystander alerted authorities after seeing the woman fall into the raging water just before 4 p.m. on Saturday, as first reported by KTLA sister station KGET.
Rescuers spotted her clinging to the underside of a rock while partially submerged.
They threw her a life jacket and used a rope system to pull her to safety.
A woman was seen clinging to the underside of a rock in the Kern River on Saturday, July 25, 2026. (KCSO)
A woman was seen clinging to the underside of a rock in the Kern River on Saturday, July 25, 2026. (KCSO)
She was sent to a hospital for treatment, but there’s no word on her current condition.
Officials routinely warn visitors to wear life jackets and avoid underestimating the river’s strength.
The Kern River is approximately 165 miles long and drains into an area of the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.