Hero Who Sacrificed His Life to Save Woman and Child, Identified, Body Recovered
VERNALIS- The hero who drowned while helping to save the mother of a 5 year old girl as been as 41 year old Eddie Gerardo Cervantes Lora of Manteca.
The California Highway Patrol released the following update today:
“UPDATE:
On October 11, 2023, at approximately 11:58 A.M., the body of the Good Samaritan was located and recovered by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department.
VEHICLE INTO THE RIVER
On October 10, 2023, at approximately 1:29 P.M., a female adult was driving her GMC sports utility vehicle northbound on Airport Way, south of the San Joaquin River Bridge, at an undetermined speed. For unknown reasons, the driver steered the GMC to the right and allowed her vehicle to leave the main portion of the roadway. As a result, the GMC traveled down an embankment, struck a tree, and entered the water filled river.
The driver and her 5 year old passenger exited the GMC and stood near the rear hatch as the vehicle started to submerge. A witness stopped on scene, entered the river, and assisted a 5 year old passenger back to shore. The witness re-entered the river to retrieve the driver, but the driver had submerged and was no longer visible. The witness went under water in an attempt to locate the driver.
The driver was later seen on the shoreline with major injuries, but the witness is unaccounted for. It is unknown if the witness drowned or if he walked away from the scene. Emergency crews are currently on scene using all available resources (dive team, boat team, drone, air support) to locate the witness.
The driver of the GMC was transported to the San Joaquin General Hospital with major injuries.
The 5 year old female passenger had no injuries, but was transported to the hospital for precautionary reasons.
This crash is still under investigation. If there are any witnesses, please call the Tracy CHP office at (209) 319-4300.”
