SPOKANE, Wash. – On Wednesday night, four children jumped off the Howard Street bridge in Riverfront Park, but only three made it out.
NonStop Local spoke to a parent of one of the other minors. He said it all happened quickly.
“By the time the other three teenagers got out of the water, the other kid wasn’t able to get out.”
They added that the entire incident and everything that has followed has been surreal.
“You hear about crazy and tragic things all the time. But you go through your day and not really think anything like that’s going to happen to you.”
The Spokane Fire Department said people trying to swim in the Spokane River is a massive concern for them, especially as temperatures heat up. Capt. Jeremy Morasch from Fire District 3 said they typically respond to 20 to 30 water rescues a year, with 5 – 10 of those being deadly. He said between the frigid temperature and the swift current, simply, the conditions are hazardous.
“Right now we have both of those things coming together so it makes it very dangerous.”
Morasch added that the cold temperatures alone could cause muscle cramping and loss of mobility, “right now that’s not greatly anticipated by people jumping in the water.”
However, the parent of the child who witnessed this tragic incident hopes this will save someone’s life, “I hope that this kind of maybe brings some awareness to just how fickle and quick some choices can turn into tragedy really quick.”
