Posted on 06/17/2008 12:38:23 PM PDT by kingattax
Victim: Billie Clayton, nine, who died in the tragic canoeing accident
Words fail me.
it would be impossible to imagine the depth of that kind of pain. may God bless that poor man.
Headline is misleading.
He just went for the child he could see, and when he got around to going for the other one she had disappeared.
He really didn’t make a choice.
Sad story
Wow, talk about a parent’s worst nightmare...
I truly pray God will provide every bit of comfort & peace to this man & his son, as they begins the grieving process.
R.I.P. Billie Clayton
“He really didnt make a choice.”
Yes, this father made a choice.
A flooded river has awsome power, even when it appears like it is moving slowly.
My family was on a flooded Fox river near Chicago 10 years ago and one of our canoes got pinned against a cement pylon from an old dam. The force was so great that 6 hulking fireman on the shore couldn’t pull it free with a rope.
The canoe rental place told me the river was safe.
I got a kick in the gut just thinking about having to make a decision like that.
Prayers for the family
Yes, this father made a choice.
Maybe I’m not following the story, but it seems to me that there was child who was visible and he got that one, and then went after the other.
Doesn’t sound like a choice, just reaction to the circumstances that were presented to him.
Some things should never be said out loud.
I’m not sure what the bejeebers these people were thinking by taking children who could not take charge of themselves in a canoe in fast moving water.
One of the first things I learned about water and boats is that any amount of water, no matter how 'safe' it is supposed to be, will kill you if you don't respect it.
As 1/2 of a set of twins, I cannot imagine life without my sister...especially when we were kids. There is a bond between twins that is...indescribable.
Dear Lord, please don’t ever put me in a situation like that. I don’t think I could bear the pain or the guilt.
The story doesn't say if the kids or the father are swimmers. If they aren't, no business being on the river, especially not alone. Moving water is always dangerous to some degree.
If they were good swimmers, it is a tragic accident.
One of the first things I learned about water and boats is that any amount of water, no matter how 'safe' it is supposed to be, will kill you if you don't respect it.
You're right - this sounds as if he'd never been on the water before (which he probably didn't clue the rental place into). I suppose an urban Brit might never had been exposed to paddling at any level. Americans get so much of it at Scout camp and Y camp and guided tours at the beach, we may assume that the average guy knows one end of a canoe from the other -- and be wrong.
He had to make the same decision.
The current was not as bad as the Fox can be when it's high. You're fortunate you escaped an unpleasant ending.
When I got home, I changed from my filthy, yukky wet clothes and shoes. I removed the paper bills from my sodden wallet and hung them outside on the clothesline to dry.
I've never been in a canoe since. Thanks, but no thanks.
Leni
With proper gear, it can be safer. Life jacket, buoyant head gear, and shoes, make almost any river safe, but one must always be completely alert, and also know what you're going to encounter, if you are bringing young children for whom you will be responsible. That may mean making the run alone first.
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