# Sad news on the Grand Ronde



## Paul7 (Aug 14, 2012)

https://www.kxly.com/news/2-boys-killed-while-rafting-with-their-father-on-northeastern-oregon

Sent from my SM-G965U using Mountain Buzz mobile app


----------



## 2tomcat2 (May 27, 2012)

Condolences for the family.


----------



## Dan_22 (Nov 19, 2017)

Anyone have any additional details on this accident? Not much info in the articles. Super sad.


----------



## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

WOW, that hits home - heading to the JD or possibly the GR next week with my 7 and 9 YO boys!!! Sooo sad!

Brothers who died rafting Oregon river lived for adventures with Dad | OregonLive.com

A bit of info here, but not enough details.


----------



## Dan_22 (Nov 19, 2017)

Yeah.. that's what struck me about this... the GR being such a good family trip. We did it a few weeks ago and going again next week with some family for their first overnight trip. Hard to imagine how two people lost their lives in one incident there (maybe lack of thermal protection and/or PFDs?). Wonder if there is a lesson in this or not. Can't imagine what that family is going through.


----------



## donutboy (Sep 13, 2015)

*our friends were out there that weekend.*

I've talked my friends about what they saw, what they experienced and it sucks. They were on a family trip, too. It's sad. 

We all need to be prepared for what we are going to do. Wear your PFDs, Have throw ropes hand, be dressed for the conditions, and know what you are going to do if and when things go south. My condolences to their family and friends that are going through this.


----------



## Cambo5150 (Mar 22, 2017)

We put in at Minam on Tuesday. The staff at Minam store told us what happened 2 days earlier. I was putting in with myself, my wife, and my 4 children ages 11 to 13. My 11 year old in the raft with me. My wife and 3 boys in inflatable kayaks. This news made me pause at the put in. Was I taking unnessary risks with my children? Ultimately we decided to run the river. All of our group wore good well fitting PFDs, wetsuits, splash jackets and helmets. Throw bag of course. I had one heck of a safety talk at the put as well as one each morning on the water. All in all it was a great trip. 5000 CFS, very cold water. That news lurked in my head the whole trip. Tragic.


----------



## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

The most important detail still has not been officially released, which is whether or not the boys had on pfds and if so, whether they were properly fitted and secured. We are taking several kids down there in a few weeks. Would be great to get this critical piece of information so that we can properly place this tragedy in context to our young crew when we go over river safety before launch.


----------



## Cambo5150 (Mar 22, 2017)

Shapp, the staff at Minam Store told us that critical info but I don’t feel comfortable posting it here as it was second hand information. That being said, the river was moving fast and it was very cold. One of my kids flipped his inflatable kayak in an unnamed wave train. He was wearing a properly fitted PFD and cold water clothing. His brother quickly paddled over to him and he righted his kayak and hopped back in. I asked him how his swim went and he said he wasn’t in the water long enough to get cold. But an extended swim at that flow would be tough for anyone, myself included.


----------



## wshutt (Jun 20, 2013)

I agree, it's not voyeurism or the desire to point fingers in the wake of a terrible tragedy but a full report might help others prepare and hopefully avoid being in such a horrible situation. I read avalanche incident reports in detail not to second guess other people's actions but to figure out what could be done differently or what warning signs could have been heeded to help me make future decisions. Here I am interested in pfds? with crotch straps? extra adult in boat? one boat trip? All these things matter when mitigating risk. 





shappattack said:


> The most important detail still has not been officially released, which is whether or not the boys had on pfds and if so, whether they were properly fitted and secured. We are taking several kids down there in a few weeks. Would be great to get this critical piece of information so that we can properly place this tragedy in context to our young crew when we go over river safety before launch.


----------



## The Mogur (Mar 1, 2010)

That key information is here: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/summarize/recent/20/


----------

