El Dorado supervisors honor kayaker for rescue effort

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors honored Mark Divittorio for helping to rescue a family last month when their car plunged into the South Fork of the American River.

On Thursday, April 4 the Lemler family was traveling along Highway 50 when their vehicle left the roadway and ended up submerged and on its side in the American River. The three young daughters managed to escape to the roof of the vehicle. Mr. Lemler remained trapped inside the vehicle while Mrs. Lemler worked to keep his head above the water.

Mark Divittorio was kayaking along the same portion of the River and was willing and able to immediately assist the family by carrying the Lemler’s three daughters to shore. He continued to aid the efforts of local fire and public safety agencies in the rescue of Mr. and Mrs. Lemler. The multi-agency effort to rescue and transport the Lemler family to area hospitals included personnel from the El Dorado County Fire Protection District, the Cameron Park Fire Department/Cal Fire, the California Highway Patrol, and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department.

“It clearly took a lot of courage to respond the way Mark did,” said Ron Briggs, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. “We all hope there is someone like Mark around when the moment of crisis arrives.”

The Board of Supervisors presented Mark with an inscribed plaque for his “extraordinary and selfless acts of courage to protect and save the lives of others without hesitation.”