One of my really good friends I grew up with just lost his son yesterday in a horrible accident! I'm not familiar with this area, but know that there are deaths there a lot in the past. Anybody know about this place? I feel really bad for my boy! Nobody should ever have to bury their own child! http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-ci...ded_quickly_to_drowning_man_witness_says.html
Yep, High Rocks is a dangerous place. Not being able to swim should definitely keep you out of the water there. Whoever encouraged him to jump in needs to be flogged. barfo
Lots of kids go jumping off cliffs in Great Falls in my area. Never been my thing but I heard about some kid drowning last year.
Kind of bothers me that the closest lifeguard didn't jump in. Protocol be damned when someone's life is on the line... you do what needs to be done to have the best chance of saving someone. If the other life guards were sitting with her I can understand everyone not going in... but when the other two are too far away to be involved in the rescue I find it crazy that a lifeguard should to just sit on their ass. If that is the case... the other two shouldn't have been off 'training' when they were supposed to be looking out for swimmers welfare.
The whole thing is strewn with misques. A kid who can't swim jumping off a high rock into a swift current- being egged on by some "older adults", who should know better. I wonder how they feel about it now? As to the one lifeguard, I agree and disagree. I agree that, in general, when a life is on the line, get your fanny in the water after them. On the other hand, I also understand why there are reasons why that can actually be counter-productive under certain situations. Nonetheless, a tragedy of epic proportions.
The water there this time of year is cold, fast, and merciless. Just really sad to see a young kid lose their life doing something they probably wouldn't have done except for peer pressure.
High Rocks and the Wilson River Foot Bridge were the places I jumped when I was young and stupid. Yes, it's dangerous.
very sad to here. Kind of crazy how it is, you read about "Star athletes" and they obviously have to be in pretty good physical shape, yet it can still comepletely overpower them. Def something that has to be respected. Thoughts and prayers are with your friend and his family.
Agreed that there were multiple mistakes. I saw someone get into trouble swimming once and there were multiple lifeguards... one went to help and because the person in trouble what struggling so wildly the lifeguard was in danger of getting drowned by them (or knocked out). The other lifeguards called him back and they waited until the swimmer lost consciousness and started to sink... then they jumped in... pulled him out and after a few breaths of CPR him the guy coughed up some water and was good to go. In anything other that ideal conditions... that guy drowns. It is not just kids that forget they can't swim... I was with an soldier in the Army that jumped 10-12' water during a drown proofing class and he dropped straight to the bottom (negative boyancy). After they pulled him out I asked him if he had every swam before and why he tried that... and he said he never did but just figured because others were doing it that he could. Anyway... back to the incident... sometimes I think kids may go after the lifeguard deal to hang out at the water in the sun while never really seriously considering whether they could actually take action in an emergency situation.
It just puts stuff in perspective. Had a picnic last night with the fam up at the Rose Garden at Washington Park and I was just watching my kids run around and play. It can all end just like that!
Yes it can. And this is a great point you make, HCP. As such, love you kids and parents... all the time because one never knows when a life will end and it's the relationships in life that mean the most.
I'm surprised they allow people to go to High Rocks any more. Multiple deaths every summer there. I've been there. I've jumped off of them. They can be very dangerous. Plus the place is littered with drunk white trash. These are the people that probably egged the kid on. Trashy place. I don't go any more.
Yes, it's much safer now although still dangerous. There hasn't been a death there since at least 2002 when they started stationing lifeguards in the area.
