SYLMAR, Calif. (KNX) — A 26-year-old man has his cell phone and a honking horn to thank for his rescue Tuesday, after being swept away in a Los Angeles County wash and trapped beneath streets in the 12000 block of N Dronfield Avenue, firefighters said.
The man called 911 just before 8 a.m. to report that he was stuck in a drainage channel near Sylmar High School and was unable to find his way out, L.A. Fire spokesman Nicholas Prange said.
Luckily, he was able to hold onto something stationary and never lost service while underground.
LAFD dispatchers served as the middle man in the rescue — relaying information between the victim and firefighters working to find him.
"An engine on the street above continued to honk, as firefighters removed maintenance hole covers in the street," Prange said in a statement. "The victim reported by phone when he could hear the honk nearby."
Once they were able to locate him, firefighters pulled the 26-year-old through a maintenance hold and found him suffering from mild hypothermia and minor injuries, LAFD said in a statement.
While several news outlets have reported that the man was stuck in the L.A. River, Prange told KNX that was not correct, that the man was actually in a Sylmar wash that eventually empties into the river.
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