NY man drowns in Lehigh while rafting
TIMES NEWS FILE PHOTO
A Valley Stream, New York, man drowned today while rafting on the Lehigh River.
Carbon County coroner Robert Miller on Saturday evening said he was in the process of notifying the man’s next of kin and could not release his identification.
Lehigh & Lausanne Rural Volunteer Fire Company chief Timothy E. Rossman said emergency crews were dispatched at about 1 p.m. Saturday.
Initially, firefighters understood a 5-year-old had fallen out of a raft.
“But when we got there, it was determined to be a 33-year old male,” Rossman said.
“He was visible from the shore line, but was under the water, and had had a very long extended down time. We had (Lehighton Fire Department’s) dive team come in.
“We strung ropes across the river with the help of the rafting company, commandeered a raft, and retrieved the gentleman from the water,” he said.
Rossman and Jim Thorpe Fire Department chief Vince Yaich both said the man’s foot had become caught in rocks.
“He had his foot wedged. Apparently, he had dangled his feet over the raft, and one foot got wedged in a rock and pulled him right under. The current is very, very swift,” Rossman said.
The drowning happened about halfway between Glen Onoko and Glen Haven Junction, at mile marker 113 on the Lehigh Gorge Trail.
“It took about an hour to retrieve him, due to how hard he was wedged in there,” Rossman said.
“By the time we got out there, and located him, it was a recovery effort,” Yaich said.
“Jim Thorpe Fire Department and Lehigh and Lausanne assisted the divers with ropes and anything else they needed for the recovery,” he said.
Yaich said the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission is in charge of the investigation because it happened on a waterway.
The man was rafting with Pocono Whitewater, Yaich said.
Rossman,who had heard that rafting guides may have asked the man to keep his feet in the raft, had a word of advice for rafters.
“Listen to your river guides when you are out on rafting trips. It may save your life,” he said.
Comments
RIP
And to all us still gulping His air, be thinking of what's coming after we take our last gulp, here under the sun.
Peace
Pocono Whitewater allowed completely inexperienced clients go into class 3 rapids with little to no instruction, nowhere near enough guides and no semblance of control. Even on a class 3 dam release day, they still rented water squirt guns to kids. How irresponsible and money hungry do you have to be to put toys in the hands of kids who very much need to be aware of their surroundings and watching where they are going?
I hope this family sues and wins. I will be glad to be of help as a witness. I am genuinely sorry for their loss and thankful to have made it out safely with my group. The rapids, especially on a dam release are very dangerous and need to be taken seriously. This is where I believe Pocono Whitewater truly failed. They did nothing to make anyone aware of the true dangers, framing it as a fun chance to splash and play with water guns. Renting an unguided boat to beginners and children on a dam release day is irresponsible and appallingly greedy on the part of this company and the practice should not be allowed to continue.
"Actually saving someone that fell out of your raft" is exactly what is expected of you. You hold responsibility for yourself and your fellow rafters out there and this is explained to you prior to the trip. The guides are there to guide you down the river and do what they can when problems arise. Thank you for taking some personal responsibility.
In my prior comment I was simply trying to offer an alternative view to one that is obviously shaken up from a traumatic experience that no one should ever have to go through. I understand where you're coming from and I empathize with all of your points. I would just urge you to take a step back and realize this was a freak accident that very well could have been avoided. We are all dealing with the shock of this incident in all parts of the community. Its natural to want to place blame, but we have to maintain some levelheadedness and try to avoid so much emotion when drawing such conclusions, albeit it being an emotional time for all those who share in this pastime and a relationship with this beautiful place.
I don't know the exact mandate for guests per guides, but I remember it being much lower than 200. I believe the state park regulation is something like 120 guests allowed per trip, and I doubt PW would have pushed that limit. I'm also pretty sure you can request a personal guide in your raft, however that's usually not needed for the lower classed whitewater on the Lehigh.
I'd also like to point out that many of your comments are based in a way of thinking that gets many people into trouble (as in getting stuck on rocks/falling out). Yes, you are relying on a company to transport you to and from the river, outfit you with equipment, and guide you down the river. However, one must realize the inherent risks and personal responsibility involved in this activity going into it. This is not an amusement park ride where every turn and feature is carefully calculated to ensure your safety. There is no track for your raft to follow. This is nature. It has things out there that you can't control, like large boulders at the bottom of the river.
Each rafting company, I'm sure, spells out these risks and instructs you on how to avoid them. That's how it was when I guided. We demonstrated how to paddle and to steer the raft. We explained that each boat and each person was responsible to help anyone in need if anyone falls out. We found ways to communicate the very real risk of foot entrapment and to float on your back with your nose and toes to the sky if you fall out yourself. We explained all of this in our briefings, every single time. I can't speak for the guides on your trip, but I would imagine the guides today are still doing the same. Its solely up to the individual guests whether they pay attention and retain this information or not.
I absolutely think this sport and these opportunities should continue. With that said though, its obviously not for everyone. Maybe it should be more of a decision on part of the guests whether or not they're up for this adventure-based activity with inherent risk built in. Personally, I think everyone has something to gain out on the river, but not if you can't listen to your guides and respect the river.
As for the 9 people in one raft, there are plenty of instances where this might occur. Maybe they requested to all stay together. There are certainly bigger rafts that can accommodate more people. Maybe they picked up more along the way or some hopped into the raft later on. I don't think you or I can speculate. I also don't think you can speak for the rest of the trip and whether or not any guests were being told anything repeatedly. You said yourself there were many rafts far apart from each other. How are you confident that this issue was not being addressed leading up to the incident?
I'm not going to speak to your personal insults either, as I will also not get into how I feel about certain types of people on commercial trips who disregard rules meant to keep them safe and some basic respect for the guides and the river itself. The rafting companies are providing an invaluable experience that ordinary people can't get anywhere else. You reap the rewards based on the respect and effort that you put in. Literally thousands of people come away each dam release weekend feeling accomplished, refreshed, and closer to their friends, family, and to nature. That, to me at least, is absolutely worth the very small risk of something like this happening.
Pocono Whitewater and the rafting industry at large adheres to state regulations that mandate the amount of guests per the amount of guides on each trip. They also require the safety information you said was lacking, to literally be spelled out for guests on signs in the briefing area, verbally from the trip leader during briefing, and I believe on the personal liability waiver each guest is required to read and sign.
You're right, there are a LOT of (typically) inexperienced guests assigned to each guide. It's not fair and simply not possible to focus your attention on one guest over the rest of the trip. If this guest was told repeatedly to keep his feet in and not stand up in moving water, both before and during the trip, there is only so much the guide can do. The responsibility lies with the one taking these unnecessary and extremely dangerous risks.
I'd also like to point out that this is not an overly dangerous river. Thousands of people ride this section of the Lehigh each dam release with absolutely no problem and have a great, rewarding time in doing so. It brings people together while accomplishing goals as a team, while also bringing them closer to nature and this beautiful natural and scenic area.
It's the rafting company's goal to provide this experience to others and offer the most positive and safe experience possible. The guides are there for your safety, but also to make it a positive, uplifting experience. It would be a much different experience if they were screaming rules at you the entire time and keeping constant life-threatening fear on the forefront of your mind. Their goal is to show you a good time, allow you to laugh and bond with your fellow rafters, while keeping things safe by looking out for those few but important issues.
It is NOT hard to follow simple common sense, listen to the important safety protocol, respect the river and the guides, and manage to stay alive. No disrespect to the victim, but it is not reasonable to put the responsibility of one person's actions on others. Whitewater rafting is an experience that can truly change your life for the better, if you respect this powerful force of nature.
I'm sorry that your retention of the safety-briefing focused primarily on your lunch, but I know from experience that there is much more information provided during this time. For most people, keeping their lunch dry is a relevant and important piece of information, just like the safety protocols and how to maneuver your raft. The dangers of foot entrapment are stressed in EVERY briefing.
Helmets are not required on class III rivers for rafters. They are for kayakers who are fixed in their boats which may flip, leaving their heads closer to the bottom of the river. That is why kayakers wear helmets and Class I-III rafters do not.
My family and I have rafted annually with Pocono Whitewater for the past six years, so I would say that I know the company pretty well. I was rafting in your group.
My response to you:
White Water gives a very direct and detailed safety briefing at the start of your day. They specifically tell rafters to float on their backs in the water. If you look where you sit for the safety lecture, there is a board of notes for the leaders to look off of. I don’t remember all of the points, but there is a lot of information and warnings given. Maybe someone can reply to me with a picture of the board. HOWEVER... it specifically talks about floating, and boat handling. If you recall, we only had 35 rafts after two trips merged at lunch following the incident. I think your count of five guides is correct, because the other three were trying to save the gentleman’s life. Risking their lives in the same water that took his. The rafts cannot hold 5-9 people. They hold 3-6. Again, I have done this for years. Let me remind you that the entire river is dangerous. It is not an amusement park ride. Just as climbing Glen Onoko falls is not like climbing a staircase. Guides wear helmets because they are in kayaks, which are much more unstable than rafts, and they are strapped in if they tip over. My kids love when our guides do flips in their kayaks.
You are instructed on how to raft before hand, and given first hand teaching on the water. Completely inexperienced people can go onto even higher classes than the Lehigh. I, for one, like to rent squirt guns for years kids. It’s so refreshing to have water battles in calm areas. If you recall, the gentleman was 33 and not playing with a squirt gun.
I would like to rehash my sorrow for the family, and I’ll be the first one to admit that I started praying after I knew something happened. However, the guides were yelling at him multiple times that day, and he did exactly what they told him to not do; multiple times.
Maybe I’m just experienced at this point, but when I tee “white water rafting”, I don’t see “safety cushioned man made float trip”. Maybe I’m just a cranky old man.