2-Year-Old, Family Rescued from Raging Waters
by
KREX News Room
by
Christina Marrazza
Story Created:
Jun 2, 2011 at 9:47 PM MDT
Story Updated:
Jun 3, 2011 at 7:40 AM MDT
Mesa County - A Western Colorado family is safe after being thrown into the water during a rafting trip. Authorities say the family from Gunnison was rafting on the Dolores River just south of Gateway Thursday morning when their raft collided with a large rock in the river sending a mother, a father, a 2-year-old baby and the family dog into the icy water.
"The raft hit sideways into the rock and flipped over," explained Lieutenant Jim Fogg, with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office.
It's a scary situation for an experienced rafter, let alone one with a child on board.
"When you have a child it's usually even a more dire situation," said Robb Reece, with Mesa County Search and Rescue.
"The number one concern was when we heard there was a small child out there," said Lt. Fogg.
What started out as a routine rafting trip for a Gunnison couple, their 2-year-old son, and the family dog, ended in a 4-hour rescue requiring two dozen responders.
"The biggest challenge was figuring out how to set ropes in such a way that it was safe, combined with the extremely high current on both sides of that rock," said Lt. Fogg.
Mother and son took refuge on a rock while dad got help. They were eventually rescued, as well as their dog, who had found higher ground.
"The owner chose to do that himself, we tried to shadow him to make sure he was safe in doing so," said Lt. Fogg.
It's a reminder that mother nature's unpredictability can prove too much for even the veteran outdoorsman.
"The snow stayed on so late that now that we're hitting truly warm temperatures, it's coming off very rapidly. This river rose a lot since just this morning, and there's no way to predict that," said Lt. Fogg.
But is two years old too young to hit the rapids?
"There was really nothing wrong with what they were doing. People who are outdoorsy want their children involved and it's kind of hard to second guess them. This sounds like a family who has done this before and knows what they're doing. They just got caught off guard today," explained Lt. Fogg.
Officials did have this message: "Right now's not the time to be on a river you don't know. If you're not experienced it's not a good time to be on any river," said Lt. Fogg.
You have indicated this comment should be removed.
The comment has been submitted for review. Thank you .
smart.. said on Saturday, Jun 4 at 8:56 AM
you can,t fix stupid,these people really got a new lease on life!!!!
BARBARA said on Friday, Jun 3 at 10:27 PM
YOU HAVE TO BE BRAIN DEAD TO SUBJECT YOUR 2 YR. OLD CHILD TO A RIVER LET ALONE YOUR WIFE. EXPERIENCED OR NOT. SOMEONE IN THIS FAMILY NEEDS TO GROW UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE SO LITTLE RESPECT FOR LIFE THESE DAYS. JUST FOR THE THRILL OF THINGS. STOP, USE YOUR HEAD AND BE SAFE. IT IS ONLY COMMON SENSE.
Add a comment
Most Popular