A group of rafters is safe after a terrifying rafting accident at Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania.
Watch as the group’s raft heads directly toward the waterfall. The raft whips over, tossing all six people into the Yougiogheny River.
A park official says they were on a rented raft, missed a turn and passed several other signs warning them not to proceed. When they heard people also warning them it was too late. The river water was moving too fast.
All six of them had their life jackets on, so when they went over the falls, that was probably the thing that saved them and that’s why they’re with us today. The group escaped with minor scrapes and bruises.
Around the same time, Saturday in Georgia, first responders rescued a man and a group of 10 children from treacherous rapids. This group was also rafting on their own.
Without a guide, there’s a lot more risk. The easiest way to reduce risk is to go fully guided.
Please note that this group was rafting on a stretch of the Youghiogheny that is normally class I-II and even with the higher water of the day is not a class III river, if you take out at the big “Take Out” sign on river left. Many rafters on this section do not wear helmets or have a guide.