Bay Area postal carrier dies in Sacramento County drowning along the American River
A postal carrier from the Bay Area who was pulled from the American River late last month in a rescue attempt has died, and his family is raising money to help with funeral expenses.
Steven Lee, 55, of San Francisco died in the July 23 incident along the American River Parkway near the mile marker 16, according to the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District received a call for a water rescue that day about 2:30 p.m. near Rancho Cordova. Metro Fire officials have said Lee was not wearing a life jacket when he was pulled out of the water that afternoon.
Metro Fire boat crews and Sacramento County park rangers pulled him out of the river, and Lee was hospitalized in critical condition.
This week, Metro Fire spokesman Capt. Parker Wilbourn confirmed Lee was the man pulled from the river. Lee died later that day at the hospital, according to the Coroner’s Office.
Will To Ng and Lee’s family has created a GoFundMe page, an online fundraiser to collect donations to help the family after Lee died in a “tragic accident” on the American River. Lee is survived by his teenage son. The family is raising money to help with funeral expenses and financial support for his son.
Lee worked as a U.S. Post Office mail carrier for more than 25 years. His family said Lee served his community as a mail carrier, working long hours every day and would often take extra shifts and side jobs “just to stay afloat.”
“He spent his only day off in the week being his son’s co-pilot, doing father and son things such as biking, laughing and sharing little life lessons here and there, or just grabbing a burger at In-N-Out,” Lee’s family said on the GoFundMe page. “Now, even those short precious hours were taken away from his son.”
Lee’s family said he was always there to help others in need or cheer up someone else “whether it’s through his kindness, his positivity, or just his infectious smile.”
Lee’s funeral services are set for Saturday.
This story was originally published August 4, 2023 at 9:42 AM.
