CHP – Fresno
A man who got stuck in a vortex of water while hiking has one resourceful officer of the law to thank for saving his life — a moment that was captured on WILD video.
The 24-year-old Fresno-area man — who has not been identified — was hiking the Angel Falls crossing along the Willow Creek Trail near Bass Lake in Central Cali this weekend, when for some reason — he ended up off the beaten path and right in the middle of a whirlpool.
Fortunately for him, an off-duty CHP officer named Brent Donley was hiking nearby and he rushed over to help. He was quick on his feet and MacGyvered a contraption that ended up rescuing the dude. Donley tied his backpack strap to a branch, tossed it to the kid and, with the help of others, safely yanked him to the edge of the rocks he was plopped on.
It’s a pretty incredible scene — and the best part is that Donley is actually trained for this type of thing … he’s been described as a search and rescue CHP officer, so literally the perfect man for the job.
CHP Fresno and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office were obviously proud, posting videos of the actual rescue and the aftermath too — showing they even got the guy’s bag out of the water.
Let’s hear it for our first-responder heroes!