Passerby keeps struggling woman afloat in La Jolla ocean

LA JOLLA (KUSI) — Lifeguards and a good Samaritan rescued a woman who was swept off the rocks and into the ocean in La Jolla.

The bystander jumped in after the woman, who can’t swim, upon hearing her screaming in the water off the 1300 block of Coast Walk around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The bystander kept the victim afloat until lifeguards took over, according to Monica Munoz, spokeswoman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

The woman was having difficulty breathing after she was brought to shore. Munoz said a lifeguard performed CPR before she was hoisted up the bluff to be taken to a hospital. Her condition was not immediately reported.

The lifeguard who performed CPR on the victim suffered a broken finger in the process and was also taken to a hospital, Munoz said.