UPDATE: Boy, 7, who fell into Whitewater River dies, father drowned trying to rescue him

UPDATED: Tuesday, Aug. 4, 11 a.m.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report listed the juvenile victim as 10-years-old, as initially reported by authorities. Coroner officials later updated that the boy was 7-years-old.

See original story below.

WHITEWATER — A 7-year-old boy who fell into the Whitewater River and was later pulled from the water died after being rushed to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. His father, who jumped in the river in an attempt to rescue his son, also drowned.

According to officials the father and son were swept downstream by the river’s powerful current after the child fell into the river and the father jumped into the swift-moving river trying to save his son. Rescuers later pulled both victims’ lifeless bodies from the water.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

UPDATE: 1 of 4 missing, CA woman, 51, located after Colorado River head-on boat collision

6 injured, 2 airlifted, after Anza wreck involving car and UTV

One dead after San Jacinto paragliding accident

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials later identified David Martinez, 7, and David Martinez-Garcia, 41, as the pair who died in the tragic accident. Both victims were San Bernardino residents according to officials, who said the boy was pronounced deceased at the hospital at 3:01 p.m. His father was pronounced deceased at the scene at 3:04 p.m.

Officials said yesterday that it is illegal to be in the area where the drowning happened, in the Whitewater Canyon area near the 10 Freeway, and authorities are still working to determine what led to the deadly accident.

One fire official described the “unforgiving conditions” the two victims would have been subjected to and cautioned that the section of river where the father and son went into the water is extremely dangerous and not safe for anyone to ever attempt to enter.

Authorities are still working to determine how and why the boy fell into the river in an area where swimming or entering the water is forbidden and their investigation is active and ongoing.

 

Original Story: Father trying to rescue son who fell into Whitewater River drowns, boy critical

WHITEWATER — A father who attempted to save his 7-year-old son after the boy fell into the Whitewater River and was swept down river drowned earlier this afternoon. The son was eventually pulled from the river by emergency crews and he was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition.

According to officials, it is illegal to be in the area where the drowning happened, in the Whitewater Canyon area near the 10 Freeway and just north of Palm Springs, and authorities are still working to determine what led to the deadly accident.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

One dead after San Jacinto paragliding accident

6 injured, 2 airlifted, after Anza wreck involving car and UTV

UPDATE: MV “speed contest” leaves multiple ejected – 4 dead, 1 seriously injured

Cal Fire, Palm Springs Police and Riverside County Sheriff’s Departments, California Highway Patrol, and American Medical Response, were dispatched to the area around 1:17 p.m., after receiving reports of a possible drowning.

Officials spent two hours searching for the father and son earlier today. KESQ News Channel 3 image

911 callers reported seeing a boy fall into the river and that a man jumped in after the youth in an attempt to rescue him. According to callers, neither had resurfaced after being swept down river and both were unaccounted for.

Officials swarmed into the area and immediately began searching for the pair, who were later determined to be father and son.

As the search was getting underway, one fire official described the “unforgiving conditions” the two victims would have been subjected to and cautioned that the section of river where the father and son went into the water is extremely dangerous and not safe for anyone to ever attempt to enter.

About two hours after their search began, officials announced they had pulled the pair from the river. The father, who has not yet been publicly identified, was found deceased and his son, still clinging to life, was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center in critical condition.

The Whitewater Cut Off Rd. bridge over the Whitewater River remained closed for several hours while officials conducted their death investigation, which is active and ongoing.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.

tagged with , , , , , , ,