Three adults, a 4-year-old child and a dog somehow wound up in the Los Angeles River on Sunday afternoon, and the dog and one of the adults did not survive, officials said.
The group was walking near the river at Anaheim Street in Long Beach when they possibly slipped into the water, according to the Long Beach Fire Department.
Officials said that crews responded to reports of four individuals spotted at the edge of the river. Three people were rescued from the water, and one person and a dog were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Fire Department.
One of the adults and the 4-year-old were taken to a trauma center, and another person involved refused medical assistance, officials said. The status of the two being treated was unknown as of Monday afternoon.
It is unknown what led to the group’s fall into the water, or if the depth or current of the river contributed to the deaths of the person and the dog. The channel is large, and its conditions are variable based on rainfall and water flow, said Dennis Garrett, a captain at the Long Beach Fire Department. He said, however, that the current was not reported to have been rushing downstream.
“Versus going downriver, they went from the left side to the right side of the river,” Garrett said of the incident. “Everything kind of stayed right there at Anaheim.”
The group was found near a low head dam. It is unknown whether the proximity of the dam had anything to do with the drownings, Garrett said.
The National Weather Service says these dams are colloquially known as “drowning machines.” They extend across a river from bank to bank and are designed so that water continuously flows past the crest of the dam. When water levels rise downstream, it can create a rotational flow; if someone in the water goes over the dam, it can trap them, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Drowning deaths are continuing to rise in the United States, according to a 2024 report from the CDC. To increase water safety and prevent drowning incidents, the agency recommends learning swimming and water safety skills and wearing a life jacket while on a boat.
