Man Rescued From Arkansas River Sandbar Near Bixby

Tulsa firefighters and deputies rescued a man who was trapped in rising waters on the Arkansas River late Monday in the Bixby area.

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office says the man went out on the river when the water was low near South 148th Street, east of Memorial, but when the river started to rise it stranded the man on a sand bar and he called for help.

Someone passing by heard the man yelling for help and called 911 at around 11 p.m.

The rescue team had a little trouble and had to paddle most of the way to the man.

"The river right here is very shallow. It's not shallow enough that you can walk across it, but it is shallow enough where a boat won't work for most of it," said Sergeant Matt Fleenor with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.

Once they got to the man they had no trouble getting him in the boat and back to safety.

It's not clear why the man was in the river in the first place.  

Deputies say the unidentified man was checked out at a Tulsa hospital and is expected to be OK.