Man drowns trying to save son in Macon Co. waterfall

In the Franklin Press, it states that the Rescue folks arrived on scene, took the child from the father and left the father in the water. Then it says, "after they worked on the boy for quite some time, someone realized the man was in trouble"? Seems like some folks took more interest in watching the EMT work on the boy than on pulling the father out of the water. Could there be a lawsuit against Highlands over this, sure sounds like negligence!

Ghost Dog wrote:

In the Franklin Press, it states that the Rescue folks arrived on scene, took the child from the father and left the father in the water. Then it says, "after they worked on the boy for quite some time, someone realized the man was in trouble"? Seems like some folks took more interest in watching the EMT work on the boy than on pulling the father out of the water. Could there be a lawsuit against Highlands over this, sure sounds like negligence!

sure does.

There was total confusion, I was at Cullasaja Exxon filling up my boat when the rescue squad water rescue team screamed up the road, I asked inside if they had a scanner but they didn't the lady referred me to a member of the VFD who was standing outside , He said that nobody was sure what was happening but that it was in the gorge , On the way home later that evening we passed a WLOS crew on the side of the road and I knew someone had died I figured it was at the falls but I thought it was from jumping off of the cliffs, I sure hope they didn't just let that man die He is a hero !!

Citizen Blogger X wrote:

There was total confusion, I was at Cullasaja Exxon filling up my boat when the rescue squad water rescue team screamed up the road, I asked inside if they had a scanner but they didn't the lady referred me to a member of the VFD who was standing outside , He said that nobody was sure what was happening but that it was in the gorge , On the way home later that evening we passed a WLOS crew on the side of the road and I knew someone had died I figured it was at the falls but I thought it was from jumping off of the cliffs, I sure hope they didn't just let that man die He is a hero !!

They threw him a rope and a life preserver and left him on his own. They later said they didn't know he was caught. The force of the water pushed him under.

Ghost Dog wrote:

<quoted text>They threw him a rope and a life preserver and left him on his own. They later said they didn't know he was caught. The force of the water pushed him under.

This was just wrong.NO one in trouble should be left. The whole idea about "rescue" is that people are rescued. Did these folks have training?

GD ?? were they on the right or left side of the falls ? there is an underwater pocket on the left where a person can hide out for hours , I've been all over the falls and there are some deep holes but I don't recall anywhere where you could get a foot caught

I don't know for sure but the paper indicated that the boy got caught at the top of the falls. The rescuers didn't know the father was caught, he was in the water for 2 hours and hypothermia was a big part of what happened to him. Thing is, the rescuers didn't pay that much attention to him until bystanders started yelling to them that he was caught/under water. I would bet that the rescuers, who have practiced fast water rescue, had scuba gear they could have given him or at least oxygen while they we're trying to rescue him but it was probably too late. He was still alive and holding his son up when they took the son to work on, at least that is what I understand from taling with someone that claimed to know what happened.

This is so sad. We were there just the week before with our daughters and left with a nice memory.

Sounds like a lawsuit for the town of Highlands time for the rich and snobby to pony up !!