SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. — A woman rescued from the San Joaquin River has died, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
The woman died Monday, nearly a week after being pulled out of the river following a crash. Her five-year-old daughter survived.
On Oct. 10, a woman and her daughter crashed into the San Joaquin River in Vernalis.
For unknown reasons, the woman's GMC sports utility vehicle rolled over from the Airport Way overcrossing, going down the embankment, hitting a tree and going into the river around 1:30 p.m.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the driver and her child got out of the GMC and stood near the rear hatch as it began to sink.
Fire officials said bystanders rescued the child from the woman's arms before she went under the water. The woman was rescued from the water by a bystander who did not resurface once the woman was on the shore. The man died after helping rescue the woman. The San Joaquin County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Eddie Gerardo Cervantes Lora, 41 of Manteca. Friends told ABC10 he is a father of three who lives in the area.
According to the South San Joaquin Fire Authority, the woman and her daughter were taken to a hospital after the crash. The woman had major injuries and the daughter was uninjured.
Officials hail the man as a hero for jumping in to save the mother and daughter.
"His immediate response to jump to help one another shows the kind of person that I assume that he was. And we're just very sorry today," said Heather Brent, spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office.
