Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
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.
