Woman rescued after being trapped by debris in Weber River

Photo: Facebook/Morgan County Sheriff's Office

MORGAN COUNTY, Utah, June 8, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A woman was taken to the hospital with hypothermia after being stuck in the Weber River for nearly an hour and a-half late Thursday afternoon.

Sgt. Corey Stark, of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, said the woman and at least one other person were tubing on the river when they hit some debris that was caught between the pillars at milepost 109 on Interstate 84.

The debris popped their tubes, and the straps of the woman’s life jacket got wrapped around a log, trapping her in the water.

One of the people she was tubing with was able to make it to the interstate and waved down traffic to call for help. The sheriff’s office received the call at about 5:40 p.m.

Stark said the plan was for the swift water crew to rappel off of I-84 to reach the woman and free her, but before they could do that, the log that was holding her overturned, releasing her from its grip.

Stark said the woman, who was about 27 years old, seemed to have some degree of hypothermia. She was able to quickly state her name, he said, but “it took her two or three minutes to remember her date of birth. She was kind of starting to shut down a little.” She was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.

Stark emphasized that the water is still extremely cold, and the rivers are running very high and swift. As the woman was being taken out of the water, he said, some other people came tubing down the river, and fortunately for them, they didn’t get caught on the debris, but it did pop their tubes.

Stark told Gephardt Daily that the best thing people can do is to stay away from the rivers while the water is running so high and fast. If you do go out on the water, remember to wear a life jacket, do not go alone, and do not drink alcohol because it can make you more susceptible to hypothermia, which is a serious concern right now.

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