10-year-old kayaks alone for help after dad is hurt in Louisiana river, cops say
A day on the water for a father and daughter turned into a harrowing rescue in Louisiana.
Deputy sheriffs were called on June 18 to help rescue a man who was injured while kayaking in the Bogue Chitto River near Franklinton, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The man’s 10-year-old daughter moved her dad to safety on a sandbar, then paddled downstream to higher ground near the Warnerton Bridge, deputies said.
From there she called 911 for help, giving emergency responders her father’s location and saying her dad had bumped his head and “was bleeding badly,” according to deputies.
Firefighters arrived and attempted to wade upstream with the girl to her father but were thwarted by the “strong currents and deep water,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies then launched a boat into the river, at the request of the Franklinton Fire Department, in hopes of reaching the injured man.
He “was found about ¼ mile upriver from the bridge and rescued from the sandbar before being handed over to EMS personnel for treatment,” according to deputies.
Authorities didn’t provide an update on the man’s condition as of Monday, June 23.
McClatchy News reached out to the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office for more information and was awaiting a response.
The sheriff’s office urged the public to use caution on the water, especially after periods of heavy rain.
“The rivers and creeks of Washington Parish can become extremely dangerous as water levels rise and currents increase, often submerging logs that are visible when the water is low,” authorities said.
Washington Parish is about a 70-mile drive north from downtown New Orleans.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 9:24 AM with the headline "10-year-old kayaks alone for help after dad is hurt in Louisiana river, cops say."