Weekend water rescue incidents in St. George prompt warning: ‘It can be deceiving’

ST. GEORGE — Two water rescues kept emergency personnel and rescue teams busy over the weekend, prompting authorities to issue safety warnings to advise the public that all local waterways and rivers can be cold and dangerous this time of year.

The first incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday when emergency dispatch received a report of several individuals stranded in the Virgin River north of the Bloomington Walmart. First responders from the St. George Fire Department arrived to find that a father and his two minor sons were already making their way to the shore and were on the bank of the river, Batallion Chief Rick Nelson told St. George News.

Sgt. Darrell Cashin, with Washington County Search and Rescue, said he received a call for assistance with a possible swift water rescue, but the call was canceled minutes later and they were advised that all parties were out of the water and uninjured.

Cashin also provided additional details from the initial report indicating the father and his sons were rafting in the river when their boat overturned and the father was thrown into the water. Once he emerged from the water, he reportedly swam back to where the two children were stranded in the raft that was still stuck in the debris and helped the first child to the shore. He then returned for the second child who was also safely returned to the shore.

Nelson also said that none of the parties were injured during the incident, adding that multiple officers with the St. George Police Department were the first at the scene and provided assistance to the family as well.

Emergency personnel rescue two juveniles stranded in a pile of debris more than 20 feet from the shore of the Virgin River near Mall Drive and Dinosaur Crossing area of St. George, Utah, April 16, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Lacee Johnsen, St. George News

The second incident was reported shortly after 7:30 p.m. Sunday when emergency personnel responded and found two juvenile boys stranded in the Virgin River under the Mall Drive Bridge near Dinosaur Crossing. Fire crews arrived to find two juveniles standing on a pile of debris that was approximately 20 feet from the bank of the river.

Both boys were outfitted with a flotation device while a water rescue plan was formulated. A Washington County Search and Rescue swift water rescue team also arrived to assist. Shortly thereafter, rescuers pulled both boys safely to shore where they were being warmed up by family members and other than being “cold,” Nelson said, neither of them was injured.

At the time of the incident, the boys were tubing with the family when they somehow became entangled near the debris pile, and the water was moving too swiftly for them to swim back to shore.

Nelson also said local rivers and waterways are extremely dangerous right now, and even though the water may seem calm, warm or shallow, it can be deceiving. Even the most experienced swimmers and outdoor enthusiasts can get caught up in deceptively strong currents, cold water temperatures and unexpected changes in depth.

They can also run the risk of hypothermia, Nielson said, which can be life-threatening and can happen within minutes of falling into cold water. The symptoms develop gradually as well, which often leaves the person unaware of the danger they are in. When the water temperature is 40 degrees or below, serious injury can result in as little as a few minutes, and even in water temperatures approaching 50 degrees, death can occur within the first hour of cold water immersion.

Multiple agencies from Washington County were involved in the rescues.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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