Low-Head Dam Dangers
Grand Rapids currently has 5 low head dams downtown. They are also known as drowning machines. Most fishermen are aware of the inherent dangers and know to avoid them.
“I thought maybe it was gonna be a little dam that I could go over like the whitewater rafters. It didn’t work out like that,” said Joe Hileski. “I almost died.” On Wednesday April 8, 2009, Joe set out for an adventure on the Grand River.
Photos by Paul L. Newby II | The Grand Rapids Press
He purchased a $20 rubber raft from Meijer and launched at Riverside Park. “Next thing I know that dam came up awful fast and there was no stopping it. I went all the way to the bottom and hit my head on a rock. Somehow, miraculously, I found that raft and clung to it.”
To find out how Joe was rescued by two fishermen, read the MLive, Grand Rapids Press article http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/04/man_in_raft_rescued_from_grand.html
Tags: 6th St dam, dam modification, drowning machine, Grand River rescue, hydrolics, Low head dam, low head dam modification, raft
This entry was posted on Monday, April 20th, 2009 at 5:34 pm and is filed under Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
