Mail Tribune News - Teen dies in swimming accident at Rainie Falls

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2000-09-14

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Teen dies in swimming accident at Rainie Falls GALICE -- A teenage boy drowned in the Rogue River Sunday night after being swept over a waterfall about 22 miles west of Grants Pass. David Irizarry, 17, of Grants Pass, suffered head injuries, which probably contributed to his death, said Josephine County sheriff's Sgt. Ken Selig. Friends and bystanders spent an hour and half trying to revive the boy, Selig said. The accident occurred about 4:57 p.m. when Irizarry was swimming in the water above Rainie Falls, a Class V rapids in the federally designated Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. The boy apparently was caught in a swift current that took him over the falls and he struck his head on rocks. Friends and relatives were on hand and pulled him to shore, Selig said. Sheriff's deputies and medics got the call, boarded a raft at the Grave Creek boat ramp and floated two and half miles to the falls. They determined that Irizarry had died. The case is being investigated by the medical examiner's office. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA