Posted on 06/23/2018 10:11:22 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The incident occurred about 7:15 a.m. near the park entrance, according to a statement from the National Park Service.
Three bystanders assisted in getting the boy and his parents out of the water. The boy was later transported by helicopter to a hospital in Visalia, where he was being treated.
His condition was not immediately known. The man who initially tried to rescue the boy disappeared into the water, and it took rescuers nearly two hours to retrieve his body, officials said. It was the second river fatality within two weeks in Sequoia National Park.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I drink to that man tonight.
I almost lost my daughter there. She slipped and fell into a fast moving stream. Her brother grabbed her before she got washed downstream. Sequoia can be a very dangerous place.
Thank you, for saying the words I could not find.
At my weight and condition I would sink like a stone.
What do you do when you know you have almost no chance of being able to help a person in that kind of situation?
I guess the answer is it’s a kid and though I’m only 50, the kid has his whole life in front of him so I would have to try.
God bless this man.
Fallen tree limb? Rope? Long handle of some kind? Inflate your pants as a sort of a life preserver. I have only one leg so I’d be of little use.
No jumping into the water with one leg isn’t sacrificing yourself for another.
That’s just plain old suicide!
BTW, I hope you are faring well.
And if you saw my pants, they could be a life raft for six!
OK. We need you to jump into the water!
I’m there with you...FRiend.
According to Butch Farabbe author of “Off the Wall-Death in Yosemite” and a long time SAR member there, three quarters of the people who have jumped into fast running creeks and rivers there to try and save someone have drowned. Sequoia is just south of Yosemite in the Sierra.
“Is that where you lost your father?”
Jonathan’s eyes welled up. He said, “Yes.”
“What happened?”
Jonathan looked down and held his chin in his hand.
Jesse said, “Are you okay?”
“Yes. It’s just that I’ve never told anyone about my dad.”
“We can talk about something else.”
“No, I want to tell you. I feel I can tell you anything.”
Jesse’s eyes welled up.
Jonathan said, “It was in the summer. I was twelve. We were camped out next to the Kern, doing some trout fishing. It was really hot out—like here—so we decided to go swimming.” He looked around and couldn’t find a towel so he dabbed his eyes with her bra. “The Kern isn’t like this little creek. It’s a lot bigger, and strong. But where we were camped it was slow because the river was shallow and really wide. At first it was awesome. The water was so cool and we were floating along having a great time. But the river got narrower and started running faster. We could hear the rapids up ahead and my dad said to get out, but we couldn’t. The bank was muddy and we couldn’t get a foothold. We tried to grab some reeds growing up near the bank, but when we grabbed them they just pulled out of the mud. It got even faster but we were helpless against it. We could see the rapids, and just before we got to them we saw a tree growing out of the river near the shore. We managed to grab hold of it, but the force of the water was pulling on us, pulling us down. My head was underwater and I was holding on with my fingertips dug into the bark. I don’t know how but I managed to pull myself back and wedge myself between the flow of the river and the tree, so that the pressure was pinning me against it. Once I did that, I was able to climb up the trunk out of the water. I sat down on a branch and when I looked back at the river, I saw my dad being pulled under. He was looking up at me from underwater as he was swept away. I saw him bounce off a boulder and there was blood in the water. Then he was gone.”
Jesse sat next to Jonathan and held him in her arms. She said, “That’s why you’re afraid of the water.”
He shook his head yes.
Jonathan gathered himself, wiping his eyes and clearing his throat. Changing the subject, he said, “I never did get a look at your wound.”
Jesse said, “I guess you’ll have to do it without the tequila.”
“Yeah, well you said it was healed. I just have to make sure.” Jonathan stood up to move over so he could face Jesse and look at her leg. He felt dizzy and wondered if he had too much to drink. He carefully removed the bandage and looked closely at the wound. It was healing nicely and he didn’t think it needed the bandage any more. After he finished inspecting it he held on to Jesse’s leg. He caressed her leg next to the scar and said, “I think it’s healed.” He continued caressing her leg, moving a little higher.
Jesse’s voice sounded different. “Are you sure?”
He moved his hand up to her knee. “Yeah, I think your leg looks … very nice.”
RIP.
Be sure to listen to Merle Haggard’s song “Kern River.”
Flooding rivers. Global Warming. Trump's Fault.
Here you go: Merle Haggard - Kern River
For future reference.
Water Rescue: Reach, Throw, Row, but Don’t Go!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyOkVhEEFQI
Downey boy Dave Alvin does a nice cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbtuw6ptZW4
The Kern River scene in Collateral Crimes is based upon an actual experience on the Kern River.
My brother and I both survived.
The streams there often have solid rock for the stream bed and are very steep and slippery.
Once your in, their is no way to get out.
Many eventually go over a cliff to boot.
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