Rescuers say it was a miracle a Nelson man survived a plunge in Kokanee Creek, being swept over rocks and under logs and clinging to a log for two hours before he was rescued this weekend.
Cottonwood Creek in Nelson surges with melted snow. Similar conditions across the region make Kootenay streams dangerous, officials say. Photo by Chris Shepherd.
On the afternoon of Sunday, June 12 a 45-year-old man jumped into the water to rescue a friend’s dog after it had fallen off a bridge on a hiking trail through old growth woods.
The man was swept downstream and eventually rescued after suffering several injuries and hypothermia from being exposed to the frigid water for an estimated two hours. The dog was never found.
Rescuers expected to recover a body
Chris Armstrong, a swift water rescue specialist, was one of the first rescuers on the scene and says he was stunned to find the man had survived. Armstrong he’d have to perform a body recovery, not rescue of a living person.
Kokanee Creek is a steep waterway, conditions made worse by the spring freshet.
“It’s super strong and super cold and completely log choked,” says Armstrong. “How he survived going through the log jams was a miracle. I was stunned.”
The man later told rescuers he spent much of the swim underwater. He was battered by rocks and logs and suffered a broken arm, wrenched knees and severe hypothermia.
He had lost all dexterity in his limbs and some mental functions, says Armstrong.
Miraculously the man managed to pull himself onto a small log jam 15 feet from shore. He clung there, freezing and unable to move while bystanders watched. One man actually scrambled out to the victim and draped a blanket over him and tied him to the log with some rope.
The bystander was also lucky to get away unscathed, says Armstrong. The rescuer geared up in a PFD, dry suit and, tethered to shore, made his way out to the victim. Armstrong put another PFD on the man and connected him to shore with ropes.
It was then a matter of Armstrong carrying the 200-pound man on his back along the logs back to shore.
The rescue was captured on film and will likely be featured in a TV show about search and rescue crews called Callout: Search and Rescue.
It’s a very safe rescue for us, says Armstrong. He basically self-rescued himself which is what saved his life.
People underestimate the danger
Scott Spencer, search manager for Nelson Search and Rescue says people may not recognize the hazards of Kootenay creeks and streams during the spring runoff. There’s more snow than normal in the mountains and while the cool spring has drawn out the melt, Spencer says the waterways are still dangerous. Strong currents have eroded banks and swept trees downstream, creating numerous hazards.
Spencer says people caught off guard by a stream’s power risk getting trapped under water by those trees.
His advice to people is to stay away from stream banks while the water is so high. Nelson Search and Rescue’s policy for their own members is anyone within three metres of the water should wear a PFD.
“The banks could be eroded,” says Spencer. “You could be standing on what you think is solid ground but when you look from the other side you see it’s undermined. “Keep your dogs on leash and keep them close to you so you don’t have to worry about them getting swept away.”
And if your dog should be caught up in a creek, Spencer says to not jump in after it. A dog has a better chance of getting out than a human, he says.
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