Wilmington Fire Called to Kankakee River Rescue Tuesday

A person was rescued safely from the Kankakee River in Wilmington last night after the paddleboard they were on was damaged. According to the Wilmington Fire District Deputy Chief Todd Friddle, first responders were called out to a home on Vista Drive about fifteen minutes after five O’Clock Wednesday night for a report of an injured person in the river. When rescuers arrived, the victim was located in the middle of the river behind a home in the 1800 Block of Vista Drive. The paddle board they were on had struck a rock and made it unusable. Due to the terrain and the age of the victim, they were not able to rescue themselves. A member of the water rescue team went into the river and was able to make contact with the person. Although that part of the river is known to be shallow, the rescue swimmer later reported varying degrees of depth up to the chest on their way to reach the victim. A few boats were also launched to assist in the rescue. The victim was evacuated from the river and declined medical treatment. No rescue personal were injured in the operation.