Tragedy averted on Upper Truckee River Saturday

A Concord, California man enjoying a kayak ride on the Upper Truckee River in South Lake Tahoe had a near miss with tragedy Saturday after his kayak flipped, catching him in some bushes.

The cold and swiftly moving water caught John Jauretche by surprise on his very first kayak trip June 3. He put on his life jacket and put the boat in at the Tahoe Flea Market on Elks Club Drive and flipped about 30 minutes later. Jauretche's calls for help were heard by people in the area who called 911. Officers and deputies from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and El Dorado County Sheriff's Office were both in the area and responded. SLTPD was about to put their drone in the air to find Jauretche but their Community Service Officer, Bonnie Harwood, found him.

Jauretche was pulled to safety and is at his cabin recuperating.

"Thank you to everyone that helped my husband today with kayak accident," exclaimed Kimberly Jauretche, John's wife. "A lot of nice people helped him! The sheriff and police came out. Thank you to them! My husband John is fine!"

He did lose his wallet and cell phone in the river.

The Jauretches live in Concord but also have a home on the South Shore they are remodeling.

"Everyone should be careful out there," said Kimberly. "We didn't think it would be dangerous."