Boater rescued near Columbia Park in Richland

A firefighter swam out to rescue a boater suffering medical problems and pulled his boat to shore Wednesday morning on the Columbia River in Richland.

Crews from Columbia Basin Dive Rescue, Kennewick and Benton County responded about 9 a.m., said Battalion Chief Ron Duncan of the Richland Fire Department.

The boater was west of the Edison Street interchange near Bateman Island.

The older man called a friend in Eltopia who then called 911, Duncan said. Emergency officials then tried to pinpoint the boat’s location by triangulation.

The boater was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Boater rescued near Columbia Park in Richland."