6 Teens Drown in Louisiana

[Kosher Ham]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/03/red-river-drownings-6-tee_n_668424.html

What do you think about this story ?

SHREVEPORT, La. — Six teenagers who could not swim drowned in a northwest Louisiana river during a family outing, falling into deep water from the shallows where they were wading.

Officials planned to hold a news conference Tuesday to release more details about the deaths of the six, who drowned Monday in the Red River in an area where sand bars gave way to 20-foot depths. A seventh teen, a 14-year-old, was rescued.

Shreveport Assistant Fire Chief Fred Sanders said he believed the victims, ages 13 to 18, included three brothers from one family and a sister and two brothers from another.

"They were out here with some adults. But unfortunately, neither the children nor the adults could swim," he said.

Sanders said names may be released Tuesday, after the department is sure relatives have been notified.

The teens had started playing in a familiar area but ended up at a spot in the river where the bottom fell suddenly and that's where divers found the bodies, Sanders said.

Marilyn Robinson, a friend of the families, told The Times of Shreveport she watched helplessly as the victims went under. She said a large group of family and friends, including roughly 20 children, were out at the sandbar to barbecue and have a good time. They frequent the area and were familiar with the water, Robinson said.

"None of us could swim," she said. "They were yelling 'help me, help me. Somebody please help me.' It was nothing I could do but watch them drown one by one."

EDIT: Rest of the story is on the link.

[Major Harris]

swimming is a survival skill that everyone should be taught. it doesn't guarantee survival, but it sure does help.

and if you can't swim, stick to the bathtub and kiddie pools. rivers are dangerous enough.

[Dan T.]

swimming is a survival skill that everyone should be taught. it doesn't guarantee survival, but it sure does help.

and if you can't swim, stick to the bathtub and kiddie pools. rivers are dangerous enough.

Very good points. If those kids could have managed a basic dog paddle they would be alive today. And if you can't swim you have no business in a river.

What a terrible tragedy for those families. Imagine the trauma for those who witnessed that disaster.

[Kosher Ham]

Families there and NONE of them could swim ? Why are they even in the water ?

[rdsknbill]

AMEN KH, That shows a SERIOUS lack of intelligence

[zoony]

I'm trying to figure out how all 6 perished. Strange story

[Kosher Ham]

AMEN KH, That shows a SERIOUS lack of intelligence

Exactly, from the parents and the teens. I saw it on the news this morning and just said, WTF ?

I learned to swim well at around 6-7 years old. It amazes me that people can't swim. Prior to that I could dog paddle and float at least.

[Sniffler]

I couldn't imagine watching them drown one by one... but, having said that, I think this was a sick and twisted form of natural selection. If none of them could swim, then no one should have been in the water...stoopid.

[#98QBKiller]

"None of us could swim," she said. "They were yelling 'help me, help me. Somebody please help me.' It was nothing I could do but watch them drown one by one."

That's a sad quote right there.

I don't know why a group of adults that can't swim would take a group of kids that also can't swim, to wade into a river with known deep spots.

If this wasn't so sad I'd recommend these adults for the Darwin awards.

[Kosher Ham]

I'm trying to figure out how all 6 perished. Strange story

Everyone else was afraid to help them, because they couldn't swim either. The news said this morning that one of the kids dived in trying to help but couldn't swim either. The rest...who knows.

[twa]

I'm trying to figure out how all 6 perished. Strange story

Not so strange if nobody can swim(though the 7th was rescued)

The Red river is no place for people that can't swim.

[HailYeah]

Exactly, from the parents and the teens. I saw it on the news this morning and just said, WTF ?

I learned to swim well at around 6-7 years old. It amazes me that people can't swim. Prior to that I could dog paddle and float at least.

As we all know, there are plenty of adults in this country who can't swim. Often their children never learn how to swim because their parents can't teach them, and the parents also frown on swimming lessons for various reasons. Mostly, they are afraid to let their children go down that road (learning how to swim) because it is a foreign thing to them and they are scared that if something were to happen they wouldnt be able to help them.

Cullen Jones, as US olympic swimmer has recently been doing something about this. This report was on NPR just a few days ago. It explains a lot:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128622285&ft=1&f=1003

MARTIN: As we mentioned, a couple of years ago, the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, reported that the rate of fatal drowning is highest among African-American children ages 5 to 14. It's 3.1 times that of white children in the same age range. And a University of Memphis study says that nearly 70 percent of African-American children and 58 percent of Hispanic children have low to no swimming ability. And you're saying this is not an access issue anymore. It's not anymore.

Mr. JONES: It really isn't an access issue. Continuing with the University of Memphis' study, there's really three big things that they're saying. And the first big thing is fear. And I can completely speak to that. You know, I almost drowned at five and my mom told me it took me a while because I was very timid about getting back in the water.

Secondly, it's parental backing. A lot of parents themselves don't know how to swim and they feel that because they can't save their child, God forbid anything was to happen, they treat water like fire. Stay away from it. It's bad.

[PeterMP]

Very good points. If those kids could have managed a basic dog paddle they would be alive today. And if you can't swim you have no business in a river.

I'm not at all sure this is true. I'm a GOOD swimmer, and I've been in some pretty small rivers trying to swim against a current and/or tide and really struggled to make much progress.

If you know what you are doing, in my opinion, it is easier to swim out of a rip tide in the ocean, then to make it to shore in some rivers at some times.

In my opinion, ANYBODY going into a river where it possibly is going to get over their head without some good precautions (life jacket, near by boat with somebody on board, etc.) is foolish.

[RansomthePasserby]

How in the world could there be that many people in one place who don't know how to swim?

[Botched]

How about instead of schools forcing kids to learn advanced mathematics and English literature, they teach them to swim? You know, something that is actually useful?

[Spanky22]

Man, that's awful. If you cant swim, stay the hell out of the water. Everyone should learn how to swim. It's a survival skill, not just a fun activity.

[Rdskn4Lyf21]

Families there and NONE of them could swim ? Why are they even in the water ?

Seriously...it's a kind of story.

[Fergasun]

There's no reason this story should be national news except for people to mock and judge the families involved. It's a sad story.

[KingGibbs]

This is one of the more shocking stories I've seen in some time. How devastated those families must be.

I don't understand how people that live in a hot and muggy area don't learn how to swim. We are surrounded by water and it is pretty much a necessity to know how to swim.

[Ned Flanders]

There's no reason this story should be national news except for people to mock and judge the families involved. It's a sad story.

Isn't that the same with A LOT of stories that get National Attention?

They were not chosen to be mocked and judged, but to be gasped at.

[#98QBKiller]

Isn't that the same with A LOT of stories that get National Attention?

They were not chosen to be mocked and judged, but to be gasped at.

It's called sensationalism and it's what the media uses to get eyeballs on their product.

[Spartacus87]

Everyone else was afraid to help them, because they couldn't swim either. The news said this morning that one of the kids dived in trying to help but couldn't swim either. The rest...who knows.

If anyone's ever lifeguarded or jumped in to water to try to help someone who couldn't swim, they would know how insanely hard it is to get someone to calm down and not take you down with them.

I'm a pretty good swimmer and I've had some tough battles in my lifeguarding days just with people who got in over their heads in the deep end of the pool.

The intentions were good, but it's an overall terrible idea for someone who can't swim to try and save someone else who can't swim. That's guaranteed to take both people down.

[Stadium-Armory]

As a father of 4, I've always said that my 4 major responsibilities are teaching my kids: manners, basic reading/writing/arithmetic, riding a bike, and swimming. After that, my work is done.

Also, could you imagine what it must be like to watch a person drown and not be able to do anything about it. "I watched them go under one by one". Wow.

[Stadium-Armory]

If anyone's ever lifeguarded or jumped in to water to try to help someone who couldn't swim, they would know how insanely hard it is to get someone to calm down and not take you down with them.

I'm a pretty good swimmer and I've had some tough battles in my lifeguarding days just with people who got in over their heads in the deep end of the pool.

The intentions were good, but it's an overall terrible idea for someone who can't swim to try and save someone else who can't swim. That's guaranteed to take both people down.

There was an article here in the tailgate a couple weeks ago about a kid and his uncle who drowned in a neighbors pool. The kid fell in, and the uncle went in after him. The uncle wasn't able to swim either, but his instinct to save the child must have taken over and he went in regardless. A real sad story, but I get what the uncle was feeling. I'd jump in front of a car to save my kids, so I can only imagine the conflict that was going on in his head as he put his life on the line (unsuccessfully).

[mattsb84]

This reminds me of the Joe Delaney story. Tragic.