# Death on the Ark near BV



## heliodorus04 (May 31, 2005)

I have this prelim info from KVOR in Colorado Springs

News Radio 740 KVOR

*A RAFTING ACCIDENT THURSDAY IN CHAFFEE COUNTY HAS CLAIMED THE LIFE OF AT LEAST ONE PERSON. SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE THROWN FROM THE RAFT JUST BEFORE NOON THURSDAY ON THE ARKANSAS RIVER NORTH OF BUENA VISTA. TWO PEOPLE WERE RESCUED, BUT ONE DID NOT SURVIVE. THE VICTIM'S NAME HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED.*

I am looking for any other information people may have heard, links etc., as I report these to AW.

I'm just guessing, but this would be Numbers or Fractions, if the report of "North of Buena Vista" is accurate.

It always concerns me that the Chaffee County Times doesn't have this info. That is in all liklihood because they're small and update infrequently. But I wish they were more reliable on these matters...


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## akblair (Apr 27, 2004)

I heard about this last night. It was Numbers. Very sad. 




heliodorus04 said:


> I have this prelim info from KVOR in Colorado Springs
> 
> News Radio 740 KVOR
> 
> ...


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## DanOrion (Jun 8, 2004)

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Pueblo, Colorado U.S.A


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## liquidchaos (Jul 11, 2005)

condolences to the family, frineds and ofcourse the guides. It is a hard situtation for everyone involved. Big props to the guides from other companies who I heard helped.


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## esp (Jun 13, 2004)

If anyone hears any additional info I would appreciate knowing about it.

I was one of the EMTs that responded to the call. One of the two survivors was actually down for about 45 min to an hour. She received good CPR for that duration. About half way to Salida she had a pulse and began to breathe on her own. Once we got her to the hospital she also had a decent blood pressure. She, however, was still unresponsive. They flew her to Denver, and that is the last of what I know.

Thought and prayers are with her and her family for a full recovery.

Ed


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## Caspian (Oct 14, 2003)

Ed, sorry you had to be involved in the incident, and my condolences to the rest involved and who lost a loved one. This is a great object lesson - 45-60 minutes down, and then she came back with a pulse. Don't give up!! Good work, Ed.


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## aronaleah (Jul 8, 2007)

It was my family on the river. The most accurate article i have been able to find is http://www.themountainmail.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=11358&SectionID=4&SubSectionID=&S=1, other than that i can tell you that Bea, the woman that was taken to denver, did not make it. she died around 8:30 Friday night, her daughter (the other one taken to the hospital in salida) is doing fine, and so is everyone else that was on the trip. 

Ed, thank you for everything that you did, we all greatly appreciate it. 

We have heard that two other people died earlier in the day, also on the numbers section of the river, and with the same guide company. If anyone knows anything about this, i would appreciate anything you know.

Thank you,

Andrea


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## Phillips (Feb 19, 2004)

"45-50 minutes down" = brain death and other complications which she will most likely not be able to beat. Not a good situation for the family or the victim. She obviously has a strong ticker. Reviving someone after an hour is pretty rare.

my condolences
Kent


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## basil (Nov 20, 2005)

Andrea, my condolences. 

I don't think there were other deaths on the same day. 

4 commercial deaths on the Ark is too high for a season. One of those was a guy with a heart condition who wasn't in condition to swim rapids, so I wouldn't pin that on the outfitters. But, the other three is still too much. What is going on?


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## esp (Jun 13, 2004)

Phillips said:


> "45-50 minutes down" = brain death and other complications which she will most likely not be able to beat. Not a good situation for the family or the victim. She obviously has a strong ticker. Reviving someone after an hour is pretty rare.
> 
> my condolences
> Kent


Drownings and lighting strikes are the two best scenarios to hope for a revival. CPR was being given for that 45-60 min. O2 was getting to her brain during that time. Yes it is rare, but she was also young and in good shape, again increasing the odds. 

Recent changes in how CPR is given has also increased the odds. Yes, it is rare, but this was one of those situations where you continue to do all you can.


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## esp (Jun 13, 2004)

Caspian said:


> Ed, sorry you had to be involved in the incident, and my condolences to the rest involved and who lost a loved one. This is a great object lesson - 45-60 minutes down, and then she came back with a pulse. Don't give up!! Good work, Ed.


Thanks, it was a team effort. I actually was involved with the rescue side and not the medical.

Props have to go out to all the guides who helped with the initial rescue and CPR efforts.

Major kudos to the EMTI in charge for his leadership and determination.

I wish it could have turned out better.

Ed


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## esp (Jun 13, 2004)

Andrea,

Please pass condolences on to the family.

Ed


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## alex (Mar 29, 2005)

Andrea, I am very sorry about your family members, and I am sorry for your family's losses.

I would be very surprised if there had been two other deaths on the river that day, especially with the same company; it is very rare that a company will have a tragic accident like this even once in a season, let alone twice. When it does happen, everyone involved is profoundly affected; it is never taken lightly.

Whitewater rafting is inherently risky, as anyone with any of these companies will tell you, and any passenger on a commercial trip signs a waiver agreeing that they have understood these risks, although it's hard to explain to people exactly what those risks are. A good analogy is that we all know that driving is inherently dangerous, and most of us think we understand and accept the risks; unless we are involved in a head-on collision, or a rollover after a spinout on ice, we don't have a concrete understanding of how dangerous it can be and the consequences.

What is so hard to predict is exactly what will happen on the river in a crisis situation. Some people have underlying medical problems that show up when they are suddenly immersed in cold water. Some people become paralyzed by fear or shock and cannot take the necessary steps to rescue themselves by swimming to shore. Head injuries can happen even when people wear helmets. Sometimes the boater is on a stretch of river they have run many times before, and end up in trouble for unknown reasons, like the woman who drowned on the Poudre last year.

I don't think there is anything mysterious or weird about this season. More people in boats = more accidents. When you have thousands of people on the Ark, you get more boat flips, and unfortunately more accidents, with a few tragic results.


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## aronaleah (Jul 8, 2007)

ironically enough, i used to work for the same company they were out with. i know the risks, and am not blaming anyone. all things happen for a reason. my family members mentioned that they were told that two other people died less than an hour before their accident, so just trying to figure out where they heard that, and if there is any truth to it.


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## OleMissBoater (May 22, 2007)

aronaleah said:


> It was my family on the river. The most accurate article i have been able to find is http://www.themountainmail.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=11358&SectionID=4&SubSectionID=&S=1, other than that i can tell you that Bea, the woman that was taken to denver, did not make it. she died around 8:30 Friday night, her daughter (the other one taken to the hospital in salida) is doing fine, and so is everyone else that was on the trip.
> 
> Ed, thank you for everything that you did, we all greatly appreciate it.
> 
> ...





> When Chaffee County Deputy Becky Petrik arrived near CR 371 she learned two rafts had overturned. Jim Wingert, Chaffee County Fire Protection District chief, said *19 people were aboard the two boats*.


 
19 people on the two boats??? WTF?

running numbers @ low water with that many people on the boats? unbelievable.

Does Nova run numbers a lot?


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## barrett (Mar 24, 2006)

my condolences to all involved.

Barrett


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## basil (Nov 20, 2005)

OleMissBoater, it wasn't 19 people in 2 boats. There were 4 boats total in the group and 2 flipped. A little more info in the other thread.


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## drewrossi (Jul 10, 2007)

My condolences to all of the families involved

I was one of the people administering CPR to Bea and one of those who pulled Jane out of the water during the ordeal. I am glad to offer any additional information that the family would like to know about what happened during that ordeal. 

I can say that everything was done to give everyone the best chance to live. Everything from: the bystander that risked his own life to jump into the rapids without a lifejacket to pull her out, to the guys and girls in the AVA raft who paddled as fast as they could to reach her as quickly as possible, to the guys administering CPR, to the paramedics who did a great job. It goes to show how precious life is' Life can end in an instant so we need to savor every minute of it
-Drew


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## LBryan_01 (Jul 10, 2007)

I was on the AVA raft with those who pulled the daughter, Jane, from the river and then went on to assist in the rescue of the other woman, Bea. I would ask anyone reading this who is in contact with the families who lost a loved one to please send my deepest condolences. 

Is it confirmed that Bea is the younger girl, Jane's, mother? How old is Jane? When Jane was first pulled from the river, we were concerned that she had a spinal injury as she wouldn't move any limbs, but my understanding is that she only suffered from hypothermia. Is this correct?

If anyone is in contact with Jane, I would just like to assure her that all involved did their best to save her mother. Those not directly involved in the CPR were praying or assisting in carrying equipment. Her mother was not alone. I, along with another girl, held her mother's hand much of the time, and a man worked hard to keep her feet warm.


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## asandling (Jul 10, 2007)

Andrea, were you on the trip? I was there and I am so very sorry for your loss. It was a horrible horrible horrible day and I cannot get it out of my head. 2 deaths with that same company? Do you have any more information on that? I continue to replay the trip over in my head and the more I replay the more I think that things just were'nt right.

If you were there which one were you? Were you with that boat or the Class V group?

Thanks for posting. I need some closure, glad to have the blog.

Amanda






aronaleah said:


> It was my family on the river. The most accurate article i have been able to find is http://www.themountainmail.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=11358&SectionID=4&SubSectionID=&S=1, other than that i can tell you that Bea, the woman that was taken to denver, did not make it. she died around 8:30 Friday night, her daughter (the other one taken to the hospital in salida) is doing fine, and so is everyone else that was on the trip.
> 
> Ed, thank you for everything that you did, we all greatly appreciate it.
> 
> ...


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

Kent, I too must disagree with you. I've seen lots of CPR and drowning victims have the best chance of anyone. 30-45 minutes is not good, but also not something I would consider giving up on for a drowning victim. Obvious trauma without a pulse is a different story. CPR works river side, so be sure to know it well.
Joe


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## ajanney (Jul 8, 2007)

I was on one of the AVA rafts that assisted with Jane. Although she was very incoherent, she said that she was 14 years old. I saw articles that confirmed this. Our group did our best to keep her still, awake, warm and to reassure her. During moments when she seemed to become more lucent, she was upset and scared. She asked about Lynn (the first fatality), her Mom and others in her group. She was very upset that she was not able to help Lynn. A brave young lady under the circumstances. My daughter who was with us on this trip and I are praying for the comfort of all friends and family involved. 

Allen Janney 



LBryan_01 said:


> I was on the AVA raft with those who pulled the daughter, Jane, from the river and then went on to assist in the rescue of the other woman, Bea. I would ask anyone reading this who is in contact with the families who lost a loved one to please send my deepest condolences.
> 
> Is it confirmed that Bea is the younger girl, Jane's, mother? How old is Jane? When Jane was first pulled from the river, we were concerned that she had a spinal injury as she wouldn't move any limbs, but my understanding is that she only suffered from hypothermia. Is this correct?
> 
> If anyone is in contact with Jane, I would just like to assure her that all involved did their best to save her mother. Those not directly involved in the CPR were praying or assisting in carrying equipment. Her mother was not alone. I, along with another girl, held her mother's hand much of the time, and a man worked hard to keep her feet warm.


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## Peter Foote (Jul 11, 2007)

*The true story*



basil said:


> Andrea, my condolences.
> 
> I don't think there were other deaths on the same day.
> 
> 4 commercial deaths on the Ark is too high for a season. One of those was a guy with a heart condition who wasn't in condition to swim rapids, so I wouldn't pin that on the outfitters. But, the other three is still too much. What is going on?


 
I was a guide on this trip. What happened was one boat dumped in number 5. six in the water. we got 4 of 6 out of the water when a second boat flipped while pulling the last 2 in. AVA happed to come through in the middle of this and chased after the swimmers. the firsrt was pulled out after 5 1/2. the second was chased for a while till she was pulled in. CPR was started right away by AVA guides. It is then who we should give our thankyous too. WE hade 4 boats and 21 guests. We had great trip continuity. There was not 2 deaths earlier that day by our company, That is insane. WE had not had a death in 16 years. We were running safe and hade a very unfortunate set of happenings. My best wishes go out to the families involved.

Please stop writing all this trash. It is tearing people apart.


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## ajanney (Jul 8, 2007)

*Thanks*

Peter,

My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your company as well. It had to have been traumatic. Also, thank you for providing the explanation of what happened. It will hopefully help those of us directly involved in the rescue with closure. God Bless you and your company.

Allen



Peter Foote said:


> I was a guide on this trip. What happened was one boat dumped in number 5. six in the water. we got 4 of 6 out of the water when a second boat flipped while pulling the last 2 in. AVA happed to come through in the middle of this and chased after the swimmers. the firsrt was pulled out after 5 1/2. the second was chased for a while till she was pulled in. CPR was started right away by AVA guides. It is then who we should give our thankyous too. WE hade 4 boats and 21 guests. We had great trip continuity. There was not 2 deaths earlier that day by our company, That is insane. WE had not had a death in 16 years. We were running safe and hade a very unfortunate set of happenings. My best wishes go out to the families involved.
> 
> Please stop writing all this trash. It is tearing people apart.


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## asandling (Jul 10, 2007)

Thank you Pete. 
I was there and you and your crew did a great job at handling the situation. Everyone on the trip knows you did the best you could and that you all were competent and qualified guides. Please pass along our confidence to your team. I hope you are all back out there doing your thing.

A







Peter Foote said:


> I was a guide on this trip. What happened was one boat dumped in number 5. six in the water. we got 4 of 6 out of the water when a second boat flipped while pulling the last 2 in. AVA happed to come through in the middle of this and chased after the swimmers. the firsrt was pulled out after 5 1/2. the second was chased for a while till she was pulled in. CPR was started right away by AVA guides. It is then who we should give our thankyous too. WE hade 4 boats and 21 guests. We had great trip continuity. There was not 2 deaths earlier that day by our company, That is insane. WE had not had a death in 16 years. We were running safe and hade a very unfortunate set of happenings. My best wishes go out to the families involved.
> 
> Please stop writing all this trash. It is tearing people apart.


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## basil (Nov 20, 2005)

I think we all have a lot of sympathy for the guides. They clearly care and do the best they can. I hope guides find someone to help them work through this tragedy. 


A lot of people, either private boaters or commercial guides, realize that this accident could happen to their group next time. It hits home, which is probably a reason for many of the strong opinions, although some of them could clearly be better thought out. 


A family member of the deceased is privately encouraging this discussion. They want people to know what happened and they want people to discuss it to reduce the likelihood of this happening. 


Perhaps us amateurs should leave this discussion to the pros. But, we don't know who the pros are and we don't know what they are thinking or doing.


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## WhiteLightning (Apr 21, 2004)

Thumbs up to the guides on the trip, and the ones assisting.

Folks, the worst thing anyone can do is speculate or make assumptions about things, which we've seen here. If you weren't there, you can't announce to a bunch of people what happened.

Peter, thanks for participating in the discussion and clearing some things up. Our thoughts are with you and the other guides. Hopefully you guys will begin the healing process and will be able to get to where you can enjoy being on the river again.


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## ajanney (Jul 8, 2007)

Has anyone heard the official cause of death for Lynn Marks and Bea Kovich who both died on the Numbers on July 5th?


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## Ellen Gendler (Jul 15, 2007)

esp said:


> If anyone hears any additional info I would appreciate knowing about it.
> 
> I was one of the EMTs that responded to the call. One of the two survivors was actually down for about 45 min to an hour. She received good CPR for that duration. About half way to Salida she had a pulse and began to breathe on her own. Once we got her to the hospital she also had a decent blood pressure. She, however, was still unresponsive. They flew her to Denver, and that is the last of what I know.
> 
> ...


Ed---- I was a close friend of Bea Kovich, and a physican as well....I would appreciate hearing from you if she was actually underwater for 45 minutes, or if the CPR was given for 45 minutes. We are trying to understand exactly what happened to her. You can email me directly if you [email protected] thanks so much


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## Ellen Gendler (Jul 15, 2007)

LBryan_01 said:


> I was on the AVA raft with those who pulled the daughter, Jane, from the river and then went on to assist in the rescue of the other woman, Bea. I would ask anyone reading this who is in contact with the families who lost a loved one to please send my deepest condolences.
> 
> Is it confirmed that Bea is the younger girl, Jane's, mother? How old is Jane? When Jane was first pulled from the river, we were concerned that she had a spinal injury as she wouldn't move any limbs, but my understanding is that she only suffered from hypothermia. Is this correct?
> 
> If anyone is in contact with Jane, I would just like to assure her that all involved did their best to save her mother. Those not directly involved in the CPR were praying or assisting in carrying equipment. Her mother was not alone. I, along with another girl, held her mother's hand much of the time, and a man worked hard to keep her feet warm.


Yes, Bea was Jane's mother....and Jane is a 14 year old girl who had spinal surgery a year ago, so she was probably scared to move, not knowing if anything had happened to her back. I will give your post to jane, who will be so happy to know what you said, as she is trying to work all this out in her head. thank you sooo much from all of Bea's family and friends for giving us whatever information you have since none of us were with her at the time.


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## ajanney (Jul 8, 2007)

Ellen Gendler said:


> Yes, Bea was Jane's mother....and Jane is a 14 year old girl who had spinal surgery a year ago, so she was probably scared to move, not knowing if anything had happened to her back. I will give your post to jane, who will be so happy to know what you said, as she is trying to work all this out in her head. thank you sooo much from all of Bea's family and friends for giving us whatever information you have since none of us were with her at the time.


 
Ellen,
I was with Arkansas Valley Advertures (AVA) who was the first on the scene after the accident. The rafts evidently flipped just before we came through so we didn't actually see the accident. However it was our group that was involved in the rescue of Lynn, Jane and Bea. God had me in the group helping Jane.

From everything I understand, Bea was not under the water for 45 minutes. She received CPR for about 45 minutes. In case you haven't seen this post on this site, One dead in Arkansas River rafting accident - Topix, I thought I'd provide it. 

Ok, I just can't get this whole series of events out of my mind - the images and memories keep replaying in my mind's eye. I will try to recount what happened on the Arkansas river that day based off my own observations and by piecing together what my family experienced. I hope this will help those of you who desire details and just more information regarding Bea. My 17 year old son and husband pulled her out of the river about a half mile south of our vacation property. Our involvement all began when my sister and I walked up the road beside the river to let our kids do some rock climbing. We positioned ourselves on some rocks above the river so we could watch the kids climb a rock area across the street. My sister suddenly noticed two people floating down the river without their paddles and with no raft in sight. When she heard the girl yell "swim mom!" she realized the two were in trouble and my two older nieces rushed back to our vacation cabin to notify my husband and brother to go out to the river and see if they could intercept the rafter(s).(Meanwhile the one rafter, Jane had actually been retrieved just about 30 yards down from where we were sitting and CPR had begun on Lynn.) When my brother caught sight of Bea floating along and approaching our property he threw a rope out for her to grab, but she was unresponsive. He said she actually looked rather peaceful. She was floating face up, feet first and had both arms crossed over her chest. Next my brother, my husband,my 17 year old son and my two nieces ran to our parked van and proceeded to drive down the road to locate an area where they might be able to intercept Bea again before she got too far. As soon as they found a somewhat safe area to pull off and access the river my son jumped out, worked his way down the rocks to the side of the river and swam out to a boulder near the middle of the river. When he caught sight of Bea approaching him he jumped off the boulder, grabbed hold of her and somehow managed to get her through some rapids and to the side of the river. My husband pulled her out of the water and my niece checked for vitals and initiated CPR. After about 3 minutes or so another raft was able to pull off to the side and they took over with the CPR until an amubulance arrived about 5 minutes later. My brother was the one who tried to keep her legs elevated and rubbed her feet in an effort to restore circulation. My niece stayed by her side and held her hand. Bea was not alone and was cared for and prayed for continually. We were devastated when we heard on Monday that she didn't make it. Our prayers and thoughts have been with her family and friends continually. This tragedy to a complete stranger has imapcted us strongly and her family and friends will be permanently on our prayer list. We can sense that Bea and Lynn were wonderful women and loved by many. We also sensed that God was indeed on that river and worked through all the circumstances and gave my son discernment and strength that only God can give. We'll always wonder why He let this happen to Bea and Lynn, but July 5th was the day God chose to take them home. God is the only one who can deliver peace in a situation like this; a peace that surpasses all understanding. 
I hope that some of these details can help those of you who needed more info. and/or closure etc. This is as accurate as I could gather. 

I hope this helps Ellen. We all wish Jane, Paul and their entire family and friends the best. God be with you. Feel free to contact me if you would like at [email protected].


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## Ellen Gendler (Jul 15, 2007)

aronaleah said:


> It was my family on the river. The most accurate article i have been able to find is http://www.themountainmail.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=11358&SectionID=4&SubSectionID=&S=1, other than that i can tell you that Bea, the woman that was taken to denver, did not make it. she died around 8:30 Friday night, her daughter (the other one taken to the hospital in salida) is doing fine, and so is everyone else that was on the trip.
> 
> Ed, thank you for everything that you did, we all greatly appreciate it.
> 
> ...


Andrea--- I am one of Bea's close friends,and also a physician. When you say it was your family on the raft, were you related to Lynn? Were you on a raft that tried to help rescue Bea and Jane? Were Jane and Lynn on the water at the same time, and then Bea followed a bit later? We are trying to piece it together so we can make some sense of it for Paul, her husband. Our other friends, who were on the raft with her, got separated from Bea and Jane and are not sure of the details, either,. Thanks for your help. you can email me directly at [email protected]
thanks--- ellen


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## Ellen Gendler (Jul 15, 2007)

esp said:


> If anyone hears any additional info I would appreciate knowing about it.
> 
> I was one of the EMTs that responded to the call. One of the two survivors was actually down for about 45 min to an hour. She received good CPR for that duration. About half way to Salida she had a pulse and began to breathe on her own. Once we got her to the hospital she also had a decent blood pressure. She, however, was still unresponsive. They flew her to Denver, and that is the last of what I know.
> 
> ...


Ed- I was a close friend of Bea's and we are trying to piece together exactly what happened that day. Were Bea and Jane together when you saw them? Was Bea underwater for 45 minutes, or did she get CPR for 45 minutes? Jane has probably blocked out most of what occurred, and we are trying to have a picture so that Bea's husband, Paul, and her children will have a sense of the incident for closure. Everyone appreciates what you tried to do, and we know you must feel so sad that you weren't able to save Bea. She was the most incredible person; we were all lucky to have her in our lives.
You can contact me directly if possible--- [email protected]

thanks so much

ellen


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