Underwater 12 minutes, swimmer pulled from High Rocks

GLADSTONE, Ore. (KOIN) — A 20-year-old man is in critical condition after being pulled out of the Clackamas River at High Rocks Park in Gladstone on Thursday afternoon.

The man was swimming when he disappeared beneath the surface at about 1:30 p.m., Clackamas Fire said. His friends alerted lifeguards posted at the park.

While the park is a popular spot for jumping from the rocks, lifeguards told KOIN 6 News they observed the man only swimming and not jumping.

“He did a surface dive and when he didn’t resurface after 15 seconds, they went in after him,” said Randy Lauer with American Medical Response.

Lauer said a lifeguard found the man about 30 feet beneath the surface, which is “twice as deep as a rescue swimmer normally can get.”

The swimmer spent about 12 minutes underwater. Rescuers performed CPR as soon as they pulled him out. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

AMR officials said the man was not wearing a lifejacket.

River experts said the man may have gotten trapped in roots or debris — or he may have hit a rock.

AMR lifeguards have been stationed at High Rocks Park every summer for the past decade due to the frequency of water-related accidents. There are also lifejackets available at the park for the public to use.