Eddie Gerardo Cervantes Lora — a 41-year-old Manteca man — lost his life while trying to help rescue a woman whose car ended up in the San Joaquin River near the Airport Way bridge.

The tragedy started unfolding Tuesday just before 1:30 p.m. when a woman driving a GMC vehicle heading east on Durham Ferry Road — which turns into Airport Way at the river — steered off the road for unknown reasons while approaching the river.

The vehicle went down the embankment, hit a tree, and ended up in the water.

Witnesses said the driver stood in the river near the vehicle's rear hatch as it started to submerge.

Several bystanders first worked to rescue the 5-year-old child, who was being held in the woman's arms, officials with the San Joaquin County Fire Authority said on Wednesday.

The woman then disappeared in the water.

The bystanders proceeded to rescue the woman, though she lost consciousness.

Personnel with the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority and Manteca District Ambulance were able to revive her and took her and the child to a hospital.

The woman was reported to be in critical condition.

Meanwhile Lora, who was among those that went into the water to search for the woman, did not return to the surface.

South San Joaquin County Fire personnel, along with support from Manteca-Lathrop Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol, the San Joaquin and Stanislaus Sherriff’s Office remained on scene for several hours using boats, dive teams, and aircraft to successfully locate the empty vehicle, and continue searching for a civilian rescuer who did not return to the surface after going into the water.  

Lora’s body was not discovered before darkness prompting the search to the suspended Tuesday. He was found when divers returned Wednesday.

“His (Lora) immediate response to jump in to help another shows the kind of person that I assume that he was, and we’re just very sorry today,” said Heather Brent, a spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.

The water ai the Airport Way was at 12.16 feet at the time of the accident on Tuesday. It was down to 10.69 feet on Wednesday at 11 p.m.

The river current is especially strong as it passes near the bridge given it is just below where the Stanislaus River joins the San Joaquin River some 10 miles southwest of Manteca.