Friday, August 24, 2007

Crews Rescue Kayakers From Loyalhanna Creek - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh



Update: Comment from a parent is found within this thread.

This is sorta funny.
Crews Rescue Kayakers From Loyalhanna Creek - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. -- Emergency crews were called to Loyalhanna Creek in Westmoreland County Thursday afternoon to rescue a group of kayakers.

Channel 11 has learned that 35 freshman from Seton Hill University were on an orientation field trip when a girl began suffering from stomach cramps.

Offiicals said she panicked and then her kayak turned over. One other student was pulled from the water. They were both taken to a local hospital for observation.

No other injuries were reported. Students told Channel 11's Alan Jennings they were lost and their instructor did not know where they were going.
So, we learned that two students were lost in the woods for 45 minutes after they split from the group. Okay, lesson one, -- stay with the group. Lesson two, -- on a kayak trip, don't go walking around the woods.

I don't want to defend the kayak trip leader, but jeepers. Emergency rescue and the news crew might be "overboard" (pun intended) for a tummy ache. On the other hand, did anyone check to see if she is pregnant, given the outcome of the back to school story from Mercyhurst of a few days ago.

Story has video on the news site.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps you'd like the REAL story: More than 15 kayakers, including my daughter, got separated from the group during an intense thunderstorm. They paddled for two hours trying to find any shoreline not submerged by the flash flooding. My daughter, and the others were wet, cold, hungry, exhausted from two hours of paddling and sunburned when they were found by rescue helicopters and boats. I spoke with my daughter shortly after she and the others were rescued and again after she was safely back at campus. As a parent, I don't find anything funny about the whole ordeal.

Mark Rauterkus said...

This is the beauty of the internet and blogging. The news coverage didn't have much of the 'details.'

"flash flooding"

"intense thunderstorms"

"rescue helicopters"

Well, going to college isn't that 'safe.' Wet, cold, hungry, sunburned and exhausted about sums up what I went through as an undergrad -- and cell phones were not even around then.

Hope she had a great life lesson that is remembered for decades to come.

If she or others want to share notes, so others don't have the same 'teacher' but gain the same wisdom -- that would be 'great.'