[UPDATE 7:22 p.m.] Rescue Swimmer Pulls Man From Water Near Target in Eureka
Bridge near Target. [Photo by Thomas Lal]
A rescue swimmer went in after the victim about 10 minutes later.
Emergency personnel at the scene. [Photo by Thomas Lal]
About 6:35 p.m, the victim has been pulled from the water and taken by ambulance to the hospital.
![Firefighters securing items on their engine after the rescue. [Photo by Thomas Lal]](https://kymkemp.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/engine.png)
Firefighters securing items on their engine after the rescue. [Photo by Thomas Lal]
On 11/3/19 at 5:19 P.M. Humboldt Bay Fire was dispatched to a water rescue under the railroad bridge behind Target, 2500 Block of Fourth Street.
According to a witness, the subject fell in to the water from the railroad bridge.
The first arriving engine located a male subject unresponsive in the water. A Humboldt Bay Fire swimmer was deployed with a rescue board. The swimmer reached the victim within a minute of arrival on scene. The victim was placed on the board, taken to shore and transferred to Paramedics waiting on shore. Life saving measures were implemented by Humboldt Bay Fire paramedics and City Ambulance paramedics. The patient was transported to St. Joseph Hospital for further advanced treatment. At the time of this release, the patient’s condition is not known.
While involved in rescue operations, a subject on the railroad bridge began interfering with rescue personnel, potentially putting personnel at risk and slowing the operations.
Eureka Police Department responded and took the subject in to custody.
There were no injuries to fire or medical personnel during the rescue. Humboldt Bay Fire encourages people to use caution when around water as walking surfaces can often be
slippery closer to bodies of water.
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Sounds like a real cluster. Hope he’s okay!
Probably the same two that police revived with Narcan the day before in Target lot
Sam jones definitely it’s not the same 2 my brother was not in drugs and he was just staying here for work only. So keep the comments u have for someone else first find out what happened then talk shit but I guarantee my brother is not a drug addict
Thanks I’m his sister and we are here for him we came from Bakersfield as soon as we heard and my other brother came from Texas we just hoping he wakes up on his own
Thanks guess we just waiting for him towake up. Prayers are more than welcome
That’s my favorite swimming hole
How the hell do you fall off that bridge?
another view.
Nice photo. I’m having a hard time figuring out exactly what’s going on in it though. The original 1916 bridge was a swing bridge with a rotating center section, but that has a vertical lift mechanism. Was there a period where it had a lifting center section with cable operation instead of the current hydraulic operation?
Edit: Is that a different 1901 bridge? That’s my best guess so far. I found a picture of the 1920 road bridge, and it doesn’t look like that. Drawings of the 1916 bridge that became the current bridge also look different, and I can’t find any reports that it went through a phase like that in becoming the current bridge. And that does look like eureka slough, with freshwater valley off to the back right…
Edit again: And there was apparently a different 1921 rail bridge too! I didn’t know we had so many rail bridges…
the date of the photo is “unknown”, it is labeled “draw bridge” and its the same bridge, look at the hills in the background.
I don’t think it is the same bridge – from all the googling I did, there’s been about a dozen bridges across the eureka slough in about the same area.
The current bridge was built as a rotating bridge in 1916, then rebuilt to the way it is now in 1972. You can still see parts of the old rotating bridge on the round support pier. From what I can find, at no point did any of its incarnations look like that photo.
Here’s a photo of the 1916 bridge:
The original 101 highway bridge was built in 1920. Photo:
The current 101 fixed bridge was built in 1943.
But, those aren’t all the bridges that have been there…
I found a couple mentions of a 1901 railroad draw bridge, which is my best guess of what’s shown in that photo.
Approval for a bridge across the Eureka Slough by the Eureka and Klamath River Railroad Company in 1901, that doesn’t look like it was actually built, and their route did not make it to eureka. Right of way eventually sold to NWP.
A private road bridge across the slough, which I couldn’t find _anything_ about, just a mention in a bridge inventory.
And again a 1921 rail bridge that I could only find a single mention of.
A Devoy bridge, presumably built further inland.
A drawbridge by the California and Northern Railway with plans approved in 1900, then contracted to a builder, to be built next to the Eureka and Klamath’s right of way. RoW eventually sold to NWP. Pretty sure this one was built, since I found a reference that the Eel River and Eureka Railroad was leasing CNR’s line to run freight between Arcata and Eureka. This is probably the 1901 bridge I found other references to.
A 1918 request for bids for a railroad lift bridge across 712ft of the slough. I’m pretty sure this resulted in the 1920 101 bridge. A 1921 book mentions it as completed.
Some of these appear be the same bridges, but it’s hard to cross-reference them.
In short, I think the photo is most likely the CNR bridge… Any local historians want to chime in?
Hrmm, I removed the photo, and it re-appeared. The photo I attached is the original 101 bridge.
this is the photo info, plus Kneeland is in the background of the photo.
05 – Humboldt Bay and Eureka.
Comments:
Information from Sam Swanlund (3/18/99): On slough near Montgomery Wards [present day] Frahman’s Wharf is in the immediate foreground.
Yay, that let me find the collection details. I think it’s the 1901 CNR bridge. The NWP bridge was built next to it in 1916. The Baker collection was 1904-1910.
This one shows the 1916-1972 bridge:
http://library.humboldt.edu/humco/holdings/collection_images/shuster/large/2001010619.jpg
I think this one shows the tracks that went to the old bridge:
http://library.humboldt.edu/humco/holdings/collection_images/shuster/large/2001012280.jpg
Surely we have some local historian here who knows more than I can find googling? 🙂
By being “Loaded for Bear” & try to walk it!!!
The victim and the would be rescuer had an argument about the color of the pink elephants they were seeing. One tossed the other over.
They were climbing to the two tallest points; the guy who ended in the water fell off 2x; the first time he fell right into the concrete at the base of the bridge; from the top of those jutting points. He kept climbing tho but the second time he fell he was knocked unconscious and fell into the water; the people who were with him refused help and sent anyone who went to check on them away; teenagers saw the floating body and got scared and called the cops otherwise nothing would have been done. They just left their friend in the water to drown.
Thanks guess we just waiting for him towake up. Prayers are more than welcome
You jump, or you’ve got the super wobbles and fall. People have drowned in like less than a foot of water. Anything is possible.
Those are two completely different bridges!
??Good ?.
Passed out and fell off the bridge, the other was poisoned enough to act out but didn’t pass out. Same general area as the other incident related by atmosphere.
That’s not the railroad trestle. Looks more like the new trail bridge. You can see a guard post at the near end to keep vehicles from driving on it.
Here are some pics
Sad, good job first responders.
Does this place have more mentally ill, or drug addicted people than other areas?
First of all my brother was not drugged up like ur stupid comments say I’m not going to lie he was drunk tho and well trying to climb up the bridge and fell hit his head on the cement got up and try to climb again but as it was he was drunk and well with the hit he got dizzy or passed out and down he goes again thank God someone fell or we would have never known and my brother probably would have died but we made it just in time so all his family where by his side praying and talking to him he heard us at first he was out for two day’s he would not respond to us but on Wednesday morning we talked to him and he started opening his eyes but he could not see cause his eyes where rolled up but he turned his head to the direction we where talking and then as the time went on he started moving a little and well thank God now he is even starting to talk to us we still don’t know how much he remembers but at least he remembered us.and he’s alive that is all that matters. So thanks to who ever rescued him God bless