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Jun 16, 2008 6:32 pm US/Central
Man Takes Wild Ride Down Waterfall Near Hudson
HUDSON, Wis. (WCCO) ―
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The park manager said the 21-year-old man from the Hudson area had cuts and scrapes on his legs and arms.
Ken Krautbauer
A young man discovered the hard way this weekend that even if we're not seeing the direct affects of flooding, swollen creeks and rivers can be treacherous.
The man from the Hudson, Wis. area was rescued after one very wild ride down a waterfall at Willow River State Park.
"The first thing I thought when I saw him up here I said, 'That's an accident waiting to happen,'" said Ken Krautbauer, Hudson resident.
On Father's Day, Krautbauer took photos of the young men who he felt were putting themselves at risk. One photo shows a man wading above the waterfall, and then suddenly, he was swept into the falls.
"I was extremely worried for him. Particularly when he went under water. I said, 'Is he going to come back up, is he going to come back up?'" said Krautbauer.
He believes the man was lucky he came down feet first, hitting all five drops until he reached the river.
One by-stander sprung into action. He climbed a fence, walked to the water's edge and grabbed the man's arm in the nick of time, pulling him to shore.
Krautbauer shared another photo that shows several people assisting the survivor. He has cuts and scrapes on his legs and arms. The park manager said the man was a 21-year-old from the Hudson area.
An air ambulance flew him to Regions Hospital in St. Paul as a precaution. The park manager said he did not suffer serious injury.
Krautbauer is amazed to hear that. He hopes the close call is a warning to others to use better judgment at a time when the falls are swollen from spring run-off.
"I know that every time I come to this falls, three or four times a year, I'll look up there and get a flashback on that," he said.
The park manager at Willow River State Park said that people have fallen into the waterfall in the past but this is the first time he can remember it happening when the water volume is so heavy.
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