American River drowning victim, 81, is second El Dorado County water fatality in two days

A second drowning victim in El Dorado County was identified Wednesday.

At about 1 p.m. Tuesday, county fire personnel responded to a drowning on the South Fork of the American River in Lotus, according to a news release from the El Dorado Fire Protection District.

The male victim, later identified by El Dorado Sheriff’s Office as Stanley Rice, 81, of Salinas, was submerged under water and caught in tree branches just downstream from Henningsen Lotus Park.

Rice is the second drowning victim in two days in El Dorado County. The body of Mehki Clay, 19, of Carmichael, was recovered from Jenkinson Lake near Sly Park Recreation area lake Tuesday morning, according to sheriff’s deputies.

Rice was traveling in a non-guided private raft with two women who were able to get to safety on their own after the raft overturned, firefighters said. Initial reports indicated that the raft was wrapped around the tree pushing onto the victim.

Authorities said that, due to the victim’s proximity to the shore, firefighters were able to join with bystanders to form a human chain to pull the victim from the water. It is unknown if the victim was wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident.

Cal Fire Amador El Dorado unit and Garden Valley Fire District assisted the district in its response, and crews began life-saving measures once Rice was brought ashore.

He was declared dead at the scene.

“We remind everyone who visits our waterways that, even though our waterways are generally safe, this year is different,” the district said in its news release. “A longer winter and heavy precipitation are contributing to cold and swift waters.”