Two Feared Drowned After Rafting Over Weir

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Juventus3

I agree that these guys weren't too smart to just cruize down the river after 2 days of being in the city and hope for the best, but come on...the wier needs to be marked out there.

If you cycle or walk along there, you'll see the weir is amply marked with gigantic "death trap" signs on the shoreline . . . . . . you can't miss them.

It's too bad the chain with other gigantic "death trap" signs wasn't there but they did have someone on board who had rafted to that point twice before.

They killed themselves.

Ironically, while in Rome recently, I was running past a similar weir on the Tiber that didn't appear to have any noticeable warning signs at all . . . . but Romans don't seem like the rafting kind and the Tiber is a bit of a stinking pollution pit.

Cowperson

[JD]

Well the zoo is an island, so the river splits in two and reconnects itself after the zoo, just west of the weir. The north side of the island is much smaller and calmer.

I would say there is ample warning of the weir. Signage everywhere. And usually there is the boom that spans the width of the river, but apparently it got washed out last week. The river has been too swift and high for them to replace it yet. This according to the Herald article this morning. That makes sense.

Doesn't take away from the fact that if you're going on a river swelled by springtime run-off and rain, you should be prepared and understand what you're going to encounter.

[Resolute 14]

So:

-Going up the Bow when it is already flowing much higher and faster than normal
-No lifejackets
-Ignored warnings about the boom being out
-Ignored warning signs stating rafters should portage past the spot
-One witness smelled alcohol on the breath of one of the survivors.

No sympathy at all here. The other seven people should be sent the bill for the money the city spent on the rescue efforts.

[ken0042]

Found a good image of the river prior to the weir. You can see the island that the zoo sits on which could be one place where it "splits." You can also see my previously mentioned Elbow river delta. The weir is on the far right hand corner.

http://www.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&ll...&t=k&z=15&om=1

[4X4]

Originally Posted by guzzy

I hate to be the one to have to say it......natural selection....survival of the fittest. There are enough warning signs along there to caution you of the dangers. It says in plain english "Many have died". I live in Inglewood about a block away from there and it puzzles me how people can still be so absent minded.

Not only does it say it in plain english, there are skull and crossbones signs...

I mean, the signage starts a good distance back. It's not like you can miss it. Unless, of course, you're on a swollen river that is moving alot faster than usual, and you don't have the opportunity to get to shore before hitting the weir.
If that was the case, I still have no sympathy for anyone that goes rafting on a river like that. Whe you can see vegetation submerged on the banks, it's pretty obvious that the river is much higher than usual. Hello, danger.

[Juventus3]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

If you cycle or walk along there, you'll see the weir is amply marked with gigantic "death trap" signs on the shoreline . . . . . . you can't miss them.

It's too bad the chain with other gigantic "death trap" signs wasn't there but they did have someone on board who had rafted to that point twice before.

They killed themselves.

Ironically, while in Rome recently, I was running past a similar weir on the Tiber that didn't appear to have any noticeable warning signs at all . . . . but Romans don't seem like the rafting kind and the Tiber is a bit of a stinking pollution pit.

Cowperson

Yea the offshore signs help people starting close to the wier, but I'm not recalling (and correct me if I'm wrong) any signs at Bowness Park, which I know is where a lot of people start their rafting from.

I don't want to be the guy defending these two, because it's no one's fault but their own, but no markings on the water or at the starting point of their trip makes it somewhat understandable how this happened, especially considering they're new arrivals to the city.

I wouldn't be surprized at an attempted lawsuit from the families.

[Burninator]

People should just go rafting on the Elbow if you are drinking or don't want to wear a life jacket. Because it's slower than walking pace. It averages about 2 feet deep, maybe less. It's full of other rafters to help you if you're so drunk you face plant in the water. And most importantly there is no drowning machine.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Juventus3

Yea the offshore signs help people starting close to the wier, but I'm not recalling (and correct me if I'm wrong) any signs at Bowness Park, which I know is where a lot of people start their rafting from.

I don't want to be the guy defending these two, because it's no one's fault but their own, but no markings on the water or at the starting point of their trip makes it somewhat understandable how this happened, especially considering they're new arrivals to the city.

I wouldn't be surprized at an attempted lawsuit from the families.

I don't understand how signage at the START has much to do with this. There is sinage along the way near the weir, that seems like the logical place to put it. The person leading this venture should have known to get ready to get off the river sooner.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Juventus3

Yea the offshore signs help people starting close to the wier, but I'm not recalling (and correct me if I'm wrong) any signs at Bowness Park, which I know is where a lot of people start their rafting from.

I don't want to be the guy defending these two, because it's no one's fault but their own, but no markings on the water or at the starting point of their trip makes it somewhat understandable how this happened, especially considering they're new arrivals to the city.

I guess my thought is do we really need the shore of the Bow to be littered with signs that tell about a danger several kilometres away? One of the reasons I raft down the Bow is it gives me a chance to unwind and relax in a somewhat natural setting without having to leave the city.

The other thing is that isn't one of the rules of boating that you know the waters you are going into? I know I found out about the weir when I asked around before taking a trip. In this case it appears that one of the survivors said that he was aware of the weir, and assumed he could use the emergency measures to stop when they got there.

And, not all of the signs are offshore. There's at least on the middle of a bridge at least a kilometre before the weir.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by fotze

After the weir they should place some oddly spaced swinging saw blades if someone is clever enough to pass the weir, then make them choose the cup of a carpenter to drink from.

I think you were trying to post this in the Geeky thread right?

hmmm Since maybe they were from Quebec they ignored the signs in English.

[Barnes]

A life jacket probably wouldn't help you if you did get caught under the weir. The power of fast moving water never ceases to amaze me. Just ask my broken canoe below the Tom Thomson rapids on the Petawawa river. Yikes!

[guzzy]

Originally Posted by Juventus3

I agree that these guys weren't too smart to just cruize down the river after 2 days of being in the city and hope for the best, but come on...the wier needs to be marked out there.

ya the skull and cross bones isn't enough? It is very marked. These people decided today was a good day to die. If they didn't actually make that decision and weren't smart enough to figure it out.....again....good riddance....survival of the fittest.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by fotze

After the weir they should place some oddly spaced swinging saw blades if someone is clever enough to pass the weir, then make them choose the cup of a carpenter to drink from.

Possibly a large globe-shaped boulder and a hall of arrows?.....

I dont see the argument here, I honestly dont. What part of "Submerged Death Machine" surrounded by a skull and cross-bones sounds in any way ambiguous to any of you? Seems rather clear to me.

Get out of the Damn Water before you get to the "Submerged Death Machine" or it will kill you. Its a death machine. Thats what it does. It machines death.

It wont 'likely' kill you. It'll kill you. What part of 'kill' is deemed an uncertain term? Will I be dead? Yes, it will kill you.

See? No Uncertainty. Its really very clear. If you get to the death machine, you will be killed. Dead.

[J pold]

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Locke

Possibly a large globe-shaped boulder and a hall of arrows?.....

I dont see the argument here, I honestly dont. What part of "Submerged Death Machine" surrounded by a skull and cross-bones sounds in any way ambiguous to any of you? Seems rather clear to me.

Get out of the Damn Water before you get to the "Submerged Death Machine" or it will kill you. Its a death machine. Thats what it does. It machines death.

It wont 'likely' kill you. It'll kill you. What part of 'kill' is deemed an uncertain term? Will I be dead? Yes, it will kill you.

See? No Uncertainty. Its really very clear. If you get to the death machine, you will be killed. Dead.

I'm confused?
I have a few questions that should be clarified.

What will happen to me when I reach this "Submerged Death Machine"?

If I get to the "Submerged Death Machine" will I die?

What's the best way to avoid bing killed by this "Submerged Death Machine"?

Does this "Submerged Death Machine" make cotton candy, and if so, in what flavours?


I have to say I agree with all the people who don't have a lot of sympathy for these folks.

First of all, this weekend is probably the worst time in the last few years to be on the river, what with all the extra rain and all.

Second, at least one or two people on this trip knew about the weir, and it sounds like they are blaming the whole thing on the lack of the bouys/cable across the river. What kind of person decides to use the VERY LAST line of defence against going over the weir as a means of avoiding it. Especially when a much more effective means of avoiding it is to stop on the river bank. And who in thier right mind would listen to a guy who says something like "Hey don't worry about all those signs warning about certain death. There's usually a rope across the river that stops me".

Is it sad? For the family and friends it sure is, but for the uninvolved bystander such as myself it's about as sad as someone dying after jumping off a building without checking to see if there was something soft to land on.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Aren't they from Quebec?

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by guzzy

I hate to be the one to have to say it......natural selection....survival of the fittest. There are enough warning signs along there to caution you of the dangers. It says in plain english "Many have died". I live in Inglewood about a block away from there and it puzzles me how people can still be so absent minded.

i was just about to as well.
________
Suzuki Gv1400 Cavalcade Specifications

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

Aren't they from Quebec?

What does that have to do with anything? If you are making it a language issue- the words in question are "Extreme", "Danger", and "Portage."

With the exception of an accent on one of the e's in "Extreme", those words are all spelled the same in both languages.

[Juventus3]

I was biking along the bow this afternoon and kept an eye out for signs. I'll have to change my original POV after seeing all of them. The only way I'd feel for those guys now is if they were both legally blind.

[tanguay'sstillgood]

Originally Posted by Juventus3

I was biking along the bow this afternoon and kept an eye out for signs. I'll have to change my original POV after seeing all of them. The only way I'd feel for those guys now is if they were both legally blind.

In which case i still dont feel bad because rafting may not be the best activity for them.