Teen Revived After Drowning: Over 30 Minutes Underwater

An Oregon teen was revived after drowning. Cesar Campuzano, age 15, spent 30 minutes underwater before he was rescued.

Cesar and several friends were hanging out near the docks at Roger’s Landing on Tuesday. According to authorities, a few of Cesar’s friends decided to go swimming in the river. Cesar opted out as he did not know how to swim.

His friends explain that as they were leaving the water, Cesar decided to jump in. His friends suspect he thought the water was shallow.

He began to struggle immediately. Two other boys tried to help him out of the river but he apparently struggled against their efforts, forcing them to leave him in the water and seek help.

As reported by ABC News, the friends contacted authorities within minutes. Unfortunately, they did not arrive with proper equipment until 20 minutes later. Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Captain Tim Svenson explains the delay:

“It took 20 minutes for for the fire department to get to the station, to get a boat and the appropriate personnel — people equipped to dive … there are part-time/volunteer members and we were waiting for them to assemble … that was the quickest they could get together.”

It took nearly 10 more minutes for rescue personnel to assemble at the scene and locate Cesar Campuzano. He spent more than 30 minutes underwater and was found unresponsive.

Utilizing CPR and AED, the teen was revived after drowning. Cesar was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, Oregon via airlift.