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PROVO -- KSL is learning more about how a young girl who fell into the Provo River Monday was located. One of the men who found her talked to KSL Newsradio.
Pleasant Grove resident Ryan LaMone was riding his bike near Bridal Veil Falls when a man approached saying there was a girl who fell into the river. Lamone says he and the other men went downstream and got down into the water about waist deep and tried see if they could spot the girl coming downstream.
After about 8 minutes the other man got out and started moving up stream and spotted the girl trapped in the middle of the river.
"And you could see her totally submerged under water, trapped under a big rock right in the middle of the river," LaMone said.
LaMone is a past search and rescue member trained in swift water rescue and says he knew they wouldn't be able to get to the girl without equipment, so they waited until firefighters arrived a short time later with life jackets and ropes.
"One individual from the fire department attempted to get her, jumped out into the river, missed her. Couldn't grab her. And by then a couple guys from search and rescue showed up and another individual jumped out and was able to grab her and pull her to shore," LaMone said.
At that point the rescuer handed the girl to LaMone.
"And then I hiked her up to the trail and set her down next to the trail and started CPR. I started doing the respirations and then someone, I believe from the fire department, started doing the compressions," said LaMone.
Other rescuers soon arrived and continued CPR as the girl was moved to an ambulance and then finally onto a medical helicopter.
Sadly, the girl died Tuesday night at Primary Children's Medical Center.
LaMone says the water was moving fast and it was cold and numbing. He says a lot of people don't realize the power of the river.
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com
