2 drownings at Castlewood

[moguy1973]

Interviews with friends of the deceased woman said that she could not swim and went out to help the younger girl when she was struggling.  Not sure why someone would be in the water if they can't swim.  Should be a requirement to graduate from elementary school or something.

[MOFishwater]

Saw the helicopters while I was in the driveway and figured we had another drowning. 

I guess this is the lady posting a live video just before it happened and I assume one of those children, so sad, definitely looks like a harmless stretch of the river. Heck, theyre not even up to the knees in the video at least... Out with the kids enjoying some river time on a Sunday, bummer all around... Sketchy stretch of river I guess, terrible. 

 

 

 

[moguy1973]

River sure is skinny and low right there currently.  Guess they just got into a bad part of it.

[KLiK]

6 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

Interviews with friends of the deceased woman said that she could not swim and went out to help the younger girl when she was struggling.  Not sure why someone would be in the water if they can't swim.  Should be a requirement to graduate from elementary school or something.

Seen that as well and thought the same thing, then what the crap were you doing in the river if you know you cannot swim? 

5 hours ago, MOFishwater said:

Saw the helicopters while I was in the driveway and figured we had another drowning. 

I guess this is the lady posting a live video just before it happened and I assume one of those children, so sad, definitely looks like a harmless stretch of the river. Heck, theyre not even up to the knees in the video at least... Out with the kids enjoying some river time on a Sunday, bummer all around... Sketchy stretch of river I guess, terrible. 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

River sure is skinny and low right there currently.  Guess they just got into a bad part of it.

Bum deal for sure, does look harmless in the video as low as it is. 

[tjm]

Muck is bad stuff, swimming in discolored water is always a hazard too, stepping off an unseen-unexpected  ledge would incite panic in most. 

But the WW2 hero Ira Hayes drowned in a few inches of ditch water and people have drowned in bath tubs. Death is part of living.

[David Unnerstall]

Has anyone experience an "undertow"?  Can an adequate swimmer walk out into a river and be exposed to a phenomena that will cause him to drown even if he is making the proper decisions.

[fishinwrench]

21 minutes ago, David Unnerstall said:

Has anyone experience an "undertow"?  Can an adequate swimmer walk out into a river and be exposed to a phenomena that will cause him to drown even if he is making the proper decisions.

I have experienced strainers, both ones I could see and ones in the Mississippi that I couldn't.   A log underwater (that you can't see) creates a hydraulic effect that will try to suck you under.    Was always told to relax and go with it and not waste too much energy trying to fight it, but I've always been able to fight my way out.   

I always worry about fishing line (especially braid) when swimming in our lakes and rivers.  There's tons of that stuff out there.  

[Pat Magee]

Wrench is spot on with what they say you SHOULD do.  The only problem is the brain doesn't work that way.  As a competitive swimmer and experienced open water Lifeguard for most of my life, I can tell you it still scares the monkey dodo out of you regardless of your experience.  You just never have a clue what is going on under the water especially in murky current like the Meramec.  

[KLiK]

20 hours ago, David Unnerstall said:

Has anyone experience an "undertow"?  Can an adequate swimmer walk out into a river and be exposed to a phenomena that will cause him to drown even if he is making the proper decisions.

If it's strong enough it will pull you under, even with a life preserver you may have to work at it to keep your head above water.  As stated above the best thing is to go with it and work your way out...problem is in our rivers around here there's logs, rock,  muck, and other things that people tend to get wedged or stuck in.  

 

Was researching other drownings in the Meramec and came across this article from 2011:

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/fifth-drowning-in-three-weeks-in-meramec-river/article_234d530d-5489-5e20-a25d-b10a86e773fb.html

[ColdWaterFshr]

While the Meramec is full of snags and hidden under-water dangers, just like any other rivers of similar size flow . . . . I'm guessing that out of the 14 drownings that occurred there at Castlewood . . . . . at least 12 were people who didn't know how to swim.  They see people wading ankle and waist deep and think they are safe.  They get a little bit overconfident and wade further downstream and then hit some loose gravel at a drop-off ledge . . . . their footing gives and slides out from under them, and panic ensues.  Someone who also cannot swim attempts to rescue and they drown as well.  Probably not entangled in a strainer at that spot, but I'm just guessing.