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Photo by Mark Freeman From left, Cindi Masinter, Chelsea Brown, Madison Brown and Barbara Masinter are reunited at the Rogue Elk Park boat ramp after Friday's rescue. Mercy Flights paramedic Burt O'Brien, right, treated the two older rafters for minor injuries. Rescuers pull family from river Woman hurt, three others OK By MARK FREEMAN SHADY COVE -- Cindi Masinter insisted her 64-year-old mother and her two nieces, ages 13 and 7, tightly button their life jackets for a raft trip Friday down the upper Rogue River. But the 45-year-old Masinter slung her jacket over her head without fastening the straps, a mistake that almost cost her life. A tree hanging over the river knocked Masinter into the water Friday near Shady Cove, and she spent about 30 minutes in the cold Rogue clinging to a tree before she was rescued by firefighters. The two young girls were able to scramble to safety unhurt, but Masinter -- whose jacket was torn from her body by the rushing current -- suffered scrapes and bruises as she fought her way to shore through branches and water. "I wish I would have done what I told the kids to do," said Masinter, of Bend. Masinter's mother, 64-year-old Barbara Masinter of Shady Cove, suffered a wicked black eye in the 12:30 p.m. accident, but was not knocked into the water. Both women, who were trapped along the river's edge by a steep bank, had to be plucked to safety by firefighters in a rescue jet boat. It was the 18th such river rescue conducted so far this year by Jackson County Fire District 4, whose chief expects more to follow this weekend as hot weather brings out hordes of rafters. "Hundreds of people do it every day without a problem, but this shows you really need to watch it," Chief Bob Miller said. "It's going to be a busy weekend." The two Masinters were joined by 13-year-old Chelsea Brown and her 7-year-old sister Madison Brown, both of Philomath, when they launched their rented raft at Cole Rivers Hatchery. After successfully negotiating 10 miles of the 13 miles to Shady Cove, the foursome was sucked into trouble in an upper Rogue stretch that has been the scene of several accidents this year. The river pours over a gravel bar and against a steep bank just upstream from the Country Store. There, the group could not steer the raft away from overhanging trees. As the raft slapped through the trees, one limb popped Cindi Masinter out of the raft, instantly stripping her life jacket from around her neck. "I hung on to a branch for a while, but the current kept pulling me under," she said. The raft with the three remaining people in it continued to bounce through brush for 100 yards, and one limb slammed into Barbara Masinter's left eye. The two girls were able to grab branches and pull the raft along the bank, but had no idea where Cindi Masinter was. "I was so scared," said young Madison Brown, 7, of Philomath. "It was like, `I want my momma."' Chelsea Brown scrambled up the steep bank to a house and telephoned police, and her sister followed a short time later. As Cindi Masinter clung to a series of tree limbs, she tried to alert passing rafts for help, but no one could negotiate the current to get near any of the stranded boaters. "I was yelling to everybody that went by, `There are babies down there!"' Cindi Masinter said. Firefighters motored upstream from Shady Cove as Cindi Masinter eventually made it to shore. Rescuers fought thick brush and a tricky current to get both women into their boat and safe. The two women were treated and released at Rogue Elk Park by Mercy Flights paramedics. The Masinters' accident was a classic case of rafters failing to account for swift current and obstacles like overhanging trees. "People can have a great time, but you just have to plan ahead and start paddling away from trouble early," Miller said. "It's not just a fun ride," she said. "You have to work at it a little bit." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA