Woman airlifted to safety after getting swept away in fast-moving LA River

A woman was rescued by a helicopter after getting swept away by the Los Angeles River in Studio City on Sunday. 

Firefighters were called to the scene a little after 5 p.m. after she was spotted in the area by the flood control panel near Whitsett Drive, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials. 

They say that the area where the woman was spotted had water around a knee deep, but that it was flowing at an estimated 15 miles per hour. 

At one point, crews tossed a flotation device to the woman as she floated down the river, which she was able to grab. However, she continued to move downstream, ending up just west of Laurel Canyon Boulevard.

She was able to stand up for a short amount of time before the water again knocked her over.

Dramatic video shows the moments that she was able to grasp a ladder that was lowered down to her, but she was unable to keep hold, again floating away from rescuers. 

Eventually, an LAFD rescue helicopter was able to drop a hoist cable and harness to the woman, who grabbed ahold and then eventually pulled to safety. 

She was treated for minor injuries, including hypothermia, while she was being flown to a nearby hospital, LAFD said. 

The woman told firefighters that nobody else, nor any animals, were endangered during the incident.