NEWS PHOTO TIM KALINOWSKI
EMS personnel meet the Medicine Hat Fire Service's boat rescue team at the Strathcona Island Park boat launch Tuesday afternoon. Two female victims were involved in a rafting accident near Police Point Park. One victim was taken by stretcher from the boat and transported by ambulance. Medicine Hat Fire Services chief Brian Stauth says the two are lucky to be alive.
tkalinowski@medicinehatnews.com @MHNTimKal
Medicine Hat Fire Service chief Brian Stauth says two young women who were in a rafting accident near Police Point Park on Tuesday are lucky to be alive.
“People are rafting, and then when they want to get off and get to shore, they don’t realize how hard it is to overcome the current. In the case of these girls they weren’t able to get off at their landing spot. Thankfully, this one didn’t end tragically.”
Stauth said as of Wednesday morning one of the women, who was taken by ambulance from the scene, was still hospitalized, but alive.
“I don’t know her exact condition, but I know she remains in Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.”
Stauth said heightening the danger for the two women is they were not wearing life jackets, something he would strongly urge anyone going out on the river to do.
“The flows right now are at typical spring runoff conditions. When they are like that, there is a lot of water flowing in the river and it is moving quite quickly. It’s deceptive how swift the current really is. It’s not a safe time to be on the river. And if you are going to be out there, we strongly recommend to anyone who is going to be on the river to use a personal flotation device, a life jacket.”
Stauth also urged those considering going out on the river to be aware of the dangers it poses beforehand.
“There’s lots of runoff in the river right now; so the water is extremely cold. The river from a distance looks calm, but when you get on the river it’s really moving. It’s not a safe body of water for recreation,” he said.
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