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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Since We Asked Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend August 10, 2006 Rescuers carry the body of a woman who drowned Wednesday in the Rogue River near Dodge Bridge. (Mail Tribune / Jim Craven) ROGUE CLAIMS ANOTHER LIFE By chris conrad Mail Tribune SHADY COVE — A family outing on the Rogue River ended in tragedy Wednesday after a Jacksonville woman drowned when her raft struck a tree and flipped over near Dodge Bridge. Sixty-five-year-old Betty Jo Trefren was rafting with her husband, Wayne Trefren, and a family friend in separate Tahiti rafts when they drifted toward a patch of whitewater with a downed tree jutting from the current, Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said. Wayne Trefren and the friend were able to maneuver around the tree. Betty Jo Trefren's raft hit it head-on, and even though she was wearing a life vest, she disappeared beneath the rapids, Winters said. "The current is so strong around those fallen trees that it didn't matter if she had been wrapped in life vests," Winters said. "It wouldn't have helped in this particular case." Ricky and Gary Skaggs were deep into a day of steelhead fishing when they saw the Trefrens heading toward them. The cousins were anchored in a fishing hole 50 yards from where the accident occurred, they said. "We knew she was in trouble when she didn't try to head around that tree like the other two," Ricky Skaggs said. "I remember saying, 'She's in trouble.' Then she smacked into (the tree) and the raft flipped. That's the last we saw of her." After calling 9-1-1, the cousins paddled upstream to see if they could lend a hand, but they were on the other side of the river from the Trefrens and were separated by the whitewater. "We couldn't do anything at that point," Gary Skaggs said. "We don't have a motor and that current was too strong to paddle through." They said Wayne Trefren crawled onto the tree and reached into the water hoping to pull his wife free from the current. "He was yelling that he could see her under the water, but I don't see how that was possible," Gary Skaggs said. "It's just a tough thing to see, especially when you can't do anything about it." Within minutes, crews from Jackson County fire districts 3 and 4, Shady Cove fire, the Sheriff's Department and Mercy Flights launched a rescue effort. A District 4 team arrived at the site of the accident and found Wayne Trefren clutching the tree. They pulled him to safety at around 2:30 p.m., said District 3 Deputy Fire Marshal Don Hickman. Less than a half an hour later, someone who lives along the river reported Betty Jo Trefren's body had washed onto a gravel bar around 500 yards upstream from Dodge Bridge, Hickman said. This was the Rogue River's second drowning in less than a month. Harvey S. Kappeler Jr., 60, from Pittsburgh, died July 17 while rafting the Rogue River rapids near the Rogue Elk County Park in Trail. He was not wearing a life vest. Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] . Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems California Casinos Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews