Critical condition: Authorities pull man from Root River

TOWN OF RAYMOND (WITI) -- Racine County authorities pulled a 25-year-old man from the Root River behind a residence located on 8 Mile Rd. shortly after 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 10th. That man is listed in critical condition.

The Racine County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene with Raymond Fire and Rescue. The first deputy on scene took a small “John boat” onto the river with the homeowner, located the victim and was able to get him to shore.

Racine County deputies attempted life-saving measures including the use of a defibrillator with no success. Raymond Fire and Rescue arrived on scene and took over the life-saving measures and transported the victim to St Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee.

Late Saturday, officials originally reported this case was an "accidental drowning." Again, that is not the case -- the person is in critical condition.

This all happened near Bill Ruffalo's daughter's backyard.

Ruffalo says two men were fishing when one went overboard. The other man ran for help.

"He ran up here, to this guy here and said '911' and that's when they called 911," Ruffalo said.

The first deputy on scene grabbed a boat in Ruffalo's daughter's backyard and went after the man who was still in the water.

The man was unconscious, and Ruffalo says crews worked on him for a long time.

"They were working on him -- pressing on his chest. At least an hour," Ruffalo said.

The victim's name in this case hasn't been released.

Officials believe this incident was accidental.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.