By Leila Merrill
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — Needham Fire and Rescue firefighters rescued a boy, 17, who was swept downstream as the San Jacinto River on Sunday.
The crew responded to a report of two teens who had been swimming in the river and were swept away in the 15-mph current, KHOU reported.
Firefighters arrived to find that one of the teens had managed to exit the water. The other was clinging to a tree limb in the middle of the river.
A Needham firefighter who also is a rescue swimmer swam toward the teen, who broke loose from the tree limb. The firefighter was able to grab the teen and swim to the opposite shore.
The teen was exhausted and had swallowed water. He was transported to a hospital and reported to be in stable condition.