CORBETT, Ore. — For the third time this week, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office on Friday responded for a water rescue on the Sandy River — and for the second time, someone did not survive the ordeal.
Just after 4 p.m. on Friday, deputies and firefighters from the Corbett and Gresham fire departments responded to the Sandy River near Dabney State Park and the Stark Street Bridge for the water rescue call. The caller said that a man had gone into the water by himself and suddenly began struggling. He slipped beneath the surface and did not come back up.
Firefighters took rescue boats out into the river, using equipment to scale the steep riverbank in order to access the water. Using a handheld sonar device called an AquaEye, Corbett firefighters found the man underneath the water.
The sheriff's office said that AMR lifeguards helped to bring the man up to the surface and paramedics got him back to the riverbank. He was then taken to the hospital.
Despite attempts to save the man's life, the sheriff's office said that he was declared dead at the hospital. His name is being withheld until next of kin have been notified.
On Wednesday this week, a man on a paddleboard fell into the Sandy River near Oxbow Park and drowned. The next day, a family of three "narrowly survived" after being swept down the river by the current in the same area, the sheriff's office said.
Earlier this month, another man hiked out to the Sandy River near Oxbow Park and went for a swim. After search efforts that lasted several days, his body was found in the river, also presumed drowned.
Friday's death then marks the third on the Sandy this month, all within a stretch of less than a dozen miles.
"The Sandy River is dangerous year-round, and the river bottom is rocky, uneven and surprisingly deep in some locations," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "The water may be stronger and colder than nearby rivers because the Sandy River is fed by glacier runoff from Mount Hood. Use caution when swimming in the Sandy River."
With hot temperatures continuing through the weekend, authorities urged people who plan to visit a local river or lake to go somewhere that a lifeguard is present, such as Glenn Otto Park in Troutdale.
Lifejackets are recommended at all times when in or around the water. They can be borrowed for free at Glenn Otto, Dabney, Oxbow, Dodge and Lewis and Clark Park.
