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.