|
| |
Rescue on the South Platte River
Chris, Nick, and I had planned a two week backpacking trip in
Utah back in '97. On the first night in Denver, I tore a ligament in my left
knee and sprained my left ankle playing ultimate frisbee with Chris, Nick, and
his friends. The next day, Tuesday, was spent mostly in the ER and left me on
crutches and an air cast. On Wednesday, Chris and I headed up into the mountains
to take my 4x4 back on some remote jeep trail. About an hour out of Denver, we
stopped in a construction zone. The driver behind us didn't. It took another
hour before the state trooper finished up with his report. Finally, set free
again, we continued up route 285. About 15 minutes later we watched the car in
front of us disappear over an embankment. These pictures show what happened
next.
"Now, where did he get to?" "Hmmm, how am I going to get her out of this one!" "Got any beer back there?" "How fast WAS she driving?" "I'm telling you, it ain't gonna work!" "I'm ready to get out now, boys." "How did we do this during the training session?" "Dont worry, I've done this dozens of times." "Oo, she's heavier than I thought. Must be water logged!" "You're going to grab me where?" "This is more fun than Wild Water Adventure!" "How do you spell that? With one 'o' or two?"
When we pulled over, Chris headed for the embankment while I asked a guy in his utility truck sitting by the side of the road to radio for help. I then grabbed my crutches and headed for the embankment. At first I all I saw was the South Platte River, no Chris, no car. I hobbled downstream to a bridge across the river. As I went out onto the bridge, I finally saw Chris... The woman. Barb Tripp from Bailey, CO., had fallen asleep at the wheel and missed the bend in the road. She was 83 when all this happened! The water was frigid and the river was running fast. With the car facing upstream, there was no way to open the doors. The rescue crew got there about 15 minutes later. The first thought was to tie a cable to the door frame and pull the car in. However, after I yelled out to Chris to keep his feet clear since the roof would surely cave-in, they decided on a different tactic. They threw a rope across the river and secured it on the other side. They planned to use it to help pull her out. Notice the position of the rope in this picture in relation to the car. They started pulling her out. Note how the car had drifted downstream from the rope. That kept happening during the whole rescue effort. Every few minutes, the current would dislodge the car and it would drift another 5 to 10 feet downstream. Just after they pulled her out, the current took both her and the lead rescuer. Fortunately, they had anticipated it and had put another rope around him. The other team members then pulled both of them to safety They told Chris that they'd bring him in the same way they did her. He wasn't too impressed and said, "I got out here by myself. I'll get back in by myself!" Then he jumped in. After spending 45 minutes in the frigid water, Barb was taken to the hospital. Miraculously, she escaped any injury, not even hypothermia! Who knows how long it would have been before she was discovered had the driver not hit us from behind, delaying us until Barb came along in front of us.
"Now, where did he get to?"
When we pulled over, Chris headed for the embankment while I asked a guy in his utility truck sitting by the side of the road to radio for help. I then grabbed my crutches and headed for the embankment. At first I all I saw was the South Platte River, no Chris, no car. I hobbled downstream to a bridge across the river. As I went out onto the bridge, I finally saw Chris...
|
