Man Rescued From River

The Fredericksburg Fire Department when it pulled a man out of a raging Rappahannock River yesterday.

Around 1:30 p.m., Fredericksburg rescue crews responded to the Rappahannock River in the vicinity of the I-95 bridge for a report of a man in the quarry off Wicklow Drive. When rescue crews arrived they learned the victim was actually in the river, about 75 feet from shore and 75 yards upstream from the bridge.

The victim, who said his name was 26-year-old Walter C. Smith, was gripping a branch, struggling to stay afloat for nearly 45 minutes. He said, through broken English, he was down at the river to watch it rise from the rains, but was unable to reveal specifically how he was able to become stranded in the river. 

The Fredericksburg Fire Department used their new Zodiac rescue boat to reach the stranded man. With two firefighters manning the boat, they moved close enough to pull the stranded man aboard and take him to shore without incident. 

The victim did not sustain any injuries and was released on the scene without being charged with any crime.