BENTON COUNTY, Oregon — On Monday, a family was floating down the Willamette River near Corvallis on two inflatable rafts that were tied together when they hit a partially submerged tree that had fallen in the river.
Benton County Deputy Noah Lochner was patrolling the Willamette River with two other deputies when they received a call of the family struggling.
“When we got there, we saw a woman clinging to a log. The man was holding on to the raft, saying, 'Help, help, I can’t move; if I let go or move, the raft is going to go under, and the kids are going to go under the water,'” recalled Lochner.
The deputies had to think quickly as the family struggled against the relentless force of the water.
“And they were saying, 'Save the kids, save the kids!' And so, we had to pull her out first because she was in the direct line of our rescue, and then we were able to remove all three of the children off the raft,” Lochner said.
“The woman told me she thought she was going to die," he continued.
Lochner said downed trees in the river, which are called "strainers" by water patrol, are one of the deadliest obstacles people face on Oregon waterways.
Lochner added that everyone on the river should be wearing a lifejacket at all times and should not float down the river in an inflatable meant to be used in a swimming pool. They are not typically durable enough to withstand running into a submerged piece of wood.