Comments

frank wrote on Jul 5, 2011 1:59 PM:

" I saw someone die on the 4 of july weekend in this river, i don't know the circustances of how it happen, all I know is that at the time when he was getting CPR, all i wanted is for him to survive, i didn't knowt this person, but just thinking of all the sufering that the family will have face, is horrible. after what i saw, i then learn that the river took 3 lives that weekend. If i or one of you loose a family member you wont say he was an idiot but probably b glad hisliave "




John Welcher wrote on Sep 9, 2010 9:17 PM:

" When it comes to the Lower Kern during summertime High flows the vest will only help them to find the body...maybe. Extreme whitewater and UNDERCUT ROCKS will hold them under indefinately...vest or no vest...If the sheer power and vibrations of the water doesnt send caution signals to your brain then perhaps its natural selection. I do feel bad for the helpless families left behind but C'mon!! The river itself is warning you to keep a healthy distance. Not tom mention "FOOT ENTRAPMENT" study it out. "




Michael wrote on Jun 8, 2010 6:40 AM:

" Post a warnings & solutions.
People will meet their fate. "




Joanie Stewart Martin wrote on Apr 6, 2010 12:00 PM:

" I lived my entire childhood in Old Kernville beginning in 1938. No local child ever drowned on our watch. And we certainly did not wear anything but a bathing suit and innertube while swimming. Why do people not see that educating and teaching their children to obey rules and then letting them "get their feet wet" is so much better for them and for the world than an orange vest or another law? Come on, an orange vest instead of an education? What an insult to the children. "




stumped wrote on Apr 4, 2010 2:59 PM:

" Pls. tell me your idea of educating the public is more than one sign at the end of the river. Been going to the river and lake for twenty years from the a.v. area and there is nothing about the dangers at any area frequented by visitors. Riverknook, camp james,grocery stores, even rafting outfitters and marinas. unless i'm missing something there is nothing other than common sense showing the dangers. Must be everywhere and , if need be, graphic or morbid might be effective. "




Mike in Isabella wrote on Apr 2, 2010 4:20 PM:

" So we average what, about 5 or 6 drownings a year in the Kern River or the Lake. How many people actually swim in those bodies of water each year? So the government wants to force everybody to wear life jackets just because a very minute percentage of people have accidents. What's next? Tell skydivers that they need to start tying a bungie cord to the airplane just incase their shute doesn't open? "




Who Cares wrote on Apr 1, 2010 8:26 AM:

" Let's quit worrying about it. Just charge them (or their estates or their next of kin) and get on with it. Sometimes people just have to die. "




Truth wrote on Mar 29, 2010 12:15 AM:

" HEY REK
You are right on target....you
tell'em! "




MH wrote on Mar 28, 2010 8:39 AM:

" Nanny state mentality is true. Look at the bill that is present to require all skiers to wear helmets. Look at the bill to require motor cycle riders to wear helmets, and age limits for kids on motorized vehicles. There was a bill that required 5 gal buckets to have holes in them to prevent drownings of kids in buckets, hard to hold paint and such in a bucket with holes.
At what point are people going to be responsible for their own actions...drink and don't drive, well...drink and don't swim.
You can put up all the signs you want... "




Mac wrote on Mar 25, 2010 9:05 AM:

" The point is, taxpayer or not, why should people who don't go around acting like fools have to be treated like children because of people who do? "




Rek wrote on Mar 24, 2010 3:34 PM:

" Excuse me, but I PAY my taxes, so if they did have to fish me out, they would be doing what I, a tax-paying citizen, have paid them to do. It's getting to the point where the government is taking away the citizens right to make their own decisions because the government supposedly knows what's best for them. I do not hold to that. Why should I take advice from people so stupid they can't even balance a budget? "




OCBlauski wrote on Mar 24, 2010 1:04 PM:

" Education is the key here. Make sure people know the dangers of the river(s), rather than the dangers of our constantly eroding personal freedoms. "




Hey Rek wrote on Mar 23, 2010 4:23 PM:

" Keep that statement in mind when the "Government" and the tax payer's money has to fish you out of this dangerous river.

Arrogance in its true form. "




THE KERN RIVER FILM PROJECT wrote on Mar 21, 2010 4:59 AM:

" I have an idea. However, I need help from people that have had personal experiences with the river. Please check out the link, and do not hesitate to contact with questions or comments.

kernriverfilm.com "




Rek wrote on Mar 20, 2010 6:25 PM:

" The government has absolutely no right to tell me what risks I can or cannot take when those risks pose a danger only to myself.PERIOD. I find the whole "nanny-state" mentality sickening. "




For Real wrote on Mar 20, 2010 2:52 PM:

" Sure, and why we're at it, let's just walk around in giant bubbles that will keep anything bad from happening. I mean, what if your crossing the road and get hit? What if the black plague lingers in our town? What if...what if...what if.... Life is too short to live under hypothetical situations like "what if." People are going to go to the river, people are going to be stupid and people are going to drown. It's life, we live we die. Survival of the fittest. "




Bill Kaline wrote on Mar 20, 2010 12:31 PM:

" Mandatory life vests, strict enforcement or rescue reinbursement is not needed, nor wanted. At least, not by people who do NOT wish to surrender their Right to decide what's best for their own personal safety. We already pay taxes for Search & Rescue services, and charging an accident victim for the county only doing their mandated job is adding insult to injury. I, for one, prefer to take responsibility for my own safety. Far too many people forget that the "Great Outdoors" is a dangerous place, and instead want to be protected from all harm. This is not government's job. "




Ann wrote on Mar 19, 2010 9:47 PM:

" I correct my previous post referencing Live Oak/Richbar campgrounds to Live Oak/Richbar picnic areas. "




Charlie wrote on Mar 19, 2010 9:25 PM:

" This is natures way to cull the stupid people "




dave wrote on Mar 19, 2010 8:56 AM:

" Next, we need a law that requires us to wear sunscreen when we go outside, thus averting all those deaths from skin cancer. Liberty is so passé. "




Gary wrote on Mar 19, 2010 8:33 AM:

" Reading the comments are all well and good regarding signs but in todays litgious society, how many languages do these signs need to CYA? It only takes one idiot to bring a lawsuit and only attorney to help that person. "




Chuck wrote on Mar 18, 2010 10:05 PM:

" No more government laws telling us what we can do please! Laws don't stop stupid OR scofflaws(Look it up if you don't know it). My family and I have been in and around the Kern for over 30 years and no one- not one!- has ever been drowned! Don't go in the river if you aren't SURE it's safe.
Unfortuneatly, the people who need to learn don't read papers or care about anything but themselves. Do some REAL research about the people who have drowned and share the data. "




Ann wrote on Mar 18, 2010 9:30 PM:

" Mac, I totally agree with your comments. We need to be specific as to the specific dangers (dangerous currents in the river), not just stating in signage that there are dangers. Many of the drownings have occurred at the Live Oak/Richbar campgrounds. What about specific signage at the campgrounds warning of the dangerous undercurrents that cannot be seen from shore? It saddens me to read about the drownings whether or not they were from ignorance or just plain stupidity. "




DIANE wrote on Mar 18, 2010 3:12 PM:

" i like what DAH wrote that right there says it all...plus advertis on the radio,newspaper,tv, when summer months are coming or big holidays in spanish to. there are alot of people that i have run into that have never heard of what happens about going into the river that are out of town or state. and more and likely they don't read the signs either. it's just an idea "




Mac wrote on Mar 17, 2010 10:04 PM:

" People are used to warnings against everything, mostly prompted by idiots who do stuff like use a hairdryer in the bathtub. All those warnings become so much white noise after a while. If there were signs stating there are dangerous undercurrents in the lower Kern, that might be more effective than just some generic "stay out because it's dangerous". In our society everything is "dangerous" and after a while we just tune it out. Give people a reason why instead of putting up a "government knows best, do what we say" sign and you might see a better result. "




BQ wrote on Mar 17, 2010 5:33 PM:

" Besides the obvious reason being drinking as one of the main causes of these deaths. Another factor is the lack of education about the river. People need to know what it contains and what they need to avoid. And how to avoid it. We don't drive cars without first learning what everything is, like the steering wheel and brake and so on. Sadly people just see water and don't realize that there is more to a river than just water. "




Chris Z wrote on Mar 17, 2010 11:56 AM:

" As far as I'm concerned, alcohol has played a major roles in many of the drownings that we have had. Unfortunately, drinking, summer, the river, and tourists go together too well. I seriously believe that the life jacket idea would be helpful, but that it would not be enforced. The best suggestion that I could think of is to post the story of someone who drowned at the worst parts of the river. It could serve the dual purpose of a memorial to the drowning victim, as well as to be a marker for the more dangerous sections. "




Isis wrote on Mar 17, 2010 11:25 AM:

" Yes! Orange life vests mandatory. Why has it taken so long to consider making it a law? Put the blame on local lawmakers, not the much-needed tourists who want to cool off from the unbearable Summer heat. Tourists don't know the river is so dangerous, it looks so inviting and lots of fun. The hair-raising highway ride up to the Kern River Valley is more treacherous to them and takes their initial attention. "




Leah Fanning wrote on Mar 17, 2010 10:52 AM:

" This is a problem that is on-going, year after year. People don't think these warning signs apply to them. They get drunk, go in the river. There should be a hefty fine attached to entering that river, & a larger fine w/a bill for rescue. OR even climbing down over the edge to see the water up close.
Leah Fanning, Sun City, AZ
formerly of Wofford Hgts. "




Safe Swimmer wrote on Mar 17, 2010 10:40 AM:

" If you weed out the people who were drunk, high, or just plain stupid (the "Hey, y'all, watch this!" crowd), the instances of true accidental drownings are pretty small. It's infrequent that we read about someone dying who was sober and behaving safely around the water. The truth is, some people will make bad/deadly decisions whether they're wearing life vests or not. Meanwhile, requiring me to wear a life vest while I wade in placid knee-deep lake water because others have behaved irresponsibly is just plain ridiculous. I don't need the government controlling every aspect of my life, thank you. "




Melissa wrote on Mar 17, 2010 9:05 AM:

" Good article, Cathy. Thank you for trying to open eyes.

There is no stopping this, and I see no solutions. Out of towners don't know any better, which I find amazing.

And almost every summer we even lose people that live in Kern County.

Nobody ever listens, or think a drowning can't happen to them.

Can we forbid people from entering the dangerous river? I don't think that can be done.

So, sadly, we can look forward to another summer of drownings. "




Kotn Hewhohim wrote on Mar 17, 2010 6:25 AM:

" As we all know a picture paints a thousand words. Our young people do indeed look at the numbers on the signs at the mouth of the canyon. We also know that when we are young we think we are invincible, that this number does not apply to me. The demographic written of in the article mentions our greatest problem is with youth from their late teens to early 20s. As with other campaigns posting the photographs of the victims is always quite effective.
Just a suggestion. "




Duh wrote on Mar 17, 2010 12:29 AM:

" Make people WEAR life vests. No vest, no water. No feet in the water. No hip waders. No NOTHING in the water. That'll go a LONG WAY toward fixing the problem. Also, if a rescue team or sheriff or helicopter is needed, YOU PAY. That too will help. And last, you get BANNED FOR LIFE for a 2nd offense. "