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DEM #99-1809 August 11, 1999 |
The Unit was contacted by the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management at 4:00 P.M. on Wednesday August 11. They requested swift-water qualified members for the continuation of a search for a missing 9- year-old boy who was presumed drowned in the White River just above the town of Greenwater. They were asked to meet at the Buck Creek Airstrip on Highway 410 at 9:00 A.M. The following members responded: Tom Miner, Russ Brinton, Mike Mixon, Jim Lewis, Lee Tegner, John Simac, John Kirkman and Jim Andrews.
After meeting at the airfield they split into three teams: Mixon, Andrews and Brinton took River right from the PLS (point last seen) downstream (of course); Miner, Lewis and Kirkman took River left; Lee Tegner and John Simac provided valuable dry-land support in working with some of the tools we used to clear some of the log jams -- chain saws and hand tools brought to the riverside from the road etc.-- plus they did some early stream-side recon before we really got going, finding the strainers for the other teams to check. . During the teams trek downriver they spotted a lot of likely spots on the River that they didn't look forward to the prospect of checking -- toooooo dangerous!! This river was higher and swifter than normal, with a lot of "junk" in the river (sweepers, logjams, just plain nasty stuff!!) -- also, the water visibility was zero -- one team was surprised by a nasty branch that floated past them unseen (underwater) and popped up just downstream of them when it hit some gravel!! (The branch had been freed up by another team upstream) -- It just hit home that we had no visibility for any dangerous stuff underwater!) -- This really wasn't a river to be "playing" in (plus the water temp was 32 degrees!)
After a lunch break, the teams resumed searching and found the boy about 1/4 mile down stream of the Buck Creek Bridge. -- He was in a log jam, but not "jammed" -- just caught in a pocket or pool -- the only thing showing (according to John Kirkman) was his shoe up on a log -- the rest of his body was submerged.
All the teams arrived there approx 2:30 and finished the extraction and recovery by 3:30. An ambulance was on scene and out of sight of the highway to allow for more private handling of the body.
Note: To end the day -- there was a head-on collision on 410 several miles out of Greenwater on the way to Enumclaw. We received word it would be 3-5 hours before it was cleared, so we began turning around, not looking forward to the long way home thru the park (some people in line did not have the gas anyway, and the station in Greenwater was closed!!) Then word was spread that the fire dept was getting some Weyerhauser roads opened that would take us around the accident ! -- As it turned out-- where the detour rejoined 410 was just past the accident -- you got a clear view of both cars as we crossed a small bridge over the river -- -- fun way to end the day!
Tacoma Mountain Rescue |
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