re: Two adults, one child found dead after hunting accident

This same thing almost happened to me on the delta east of Alec. Purchased a hunt at a DU banquet years ago. Met the owner of the lease at the Bentley and met his guide at 28 east intersection out of Pineville.
Rode down the diversion canal a few miles turned left and rode down some rode along another canal. Get in the boat and ride down about 10-15 minutes. A front had come through and it was lightly raining and in the 50's. We get to the floating blind(pontoon boat), and start to unload. The guide gets in, my hunting buddy, me then the owner steps on the back pontoon to get in. When he does we start to roll to the back. It was pitch dark and my buddy and me had no clue what was going on. The guide hollers at the owner to get back in the boat, the blind straitens up. The blind was top heavy to begin with and with the rain it made it heavier on top. Sad sad news right there.

If they had life jackets and it rolled over that could very well been what killed them. Also you have to realize the temperature of the water can make a person suddenly gasp involuntarily causing them to drown.

I am a close friend with all of them & their families. All 5 had unknowingly stepped into the blind that had been tied down at same 3' it's always been. Not realizing it had swollen up to 7 ft the previous day. Essentially one side was full of water but as they each proceeded to walk the horror that they were standing in a closed blind that was submerged on one side as water started rolling to different ends of boat it tilted enough to bring it down with all 5 inside as it flipped completely upside down. JH opened eyes to look for light & reached further in the blind until he felt an arm. He brought them both to surface by swimming to the light.
It was a numbing, exhausting fight as he struggled to save both of their lives. They said one more breath & that'd have been it... They reached land right while he debated giving up & sat hopelessly witnessing the their spouses, siblings, son/nephew trapped in the submerged blind.

It was a tragic accident. JH's mom's best friend passed away from a heart attack Sun as she was trying to console her BF after losing her grandson & daughter in law, not to mention help her son who survived cope with this trauma. Now she's burying her DIL, grandson, her son's brother in law & her very best friend who had a heart attack while trying to console her. Just so horrible.

I’m so genuinely sorry. Prayers of compassion and acceptance to all involved.

RIP.

just horrible

Jesus Christ that's terrible.

Cold water is a mean beast. When I was heavy into triathlons I learned cold water swims were bad. As soon as your face hits that cold water, you involuntarily react, heart rate rockets, can't breathe in, orientation gets dicey. I'm a very very strong swimmer, trained in cold water, and struggled with it all along. These guys were colder water, in the dark. Jesus that's terrible.

That poor kid. that poor family. Once they hit that cold water there was nothing anyone could do and they couldn't help themselves either. Just terrible.

quote:

---

Cold water is a mean beast. When I was heavy into triathlons I learned cold water swims were bad. As soon as your face hits that cold water, you involuntarily react, heart rate rockets, can't breathe in, orientation gets dicey. I'm a very very strong swimmer, trained in cold water, and struggled with it all along. These guys were colder water, in the dark. Jesus that's terrible.

---

Water of any type is unforgiving. During air crew water survival in a pool of reasonably warm water, knowing you are about to be turned upside, and disoriented, there are still some that fail to get out, and would likely drown if not for the safety divers there to help them. .

quote:

---

In another thread didn’t you say you had a place on 955?

---

Yes I did. And now I know why you are asking. I’ve been watching them build both of those houses for the last i guess about a year. Tragic. I read the OB thread.

Sorry for your friends.

quote:

---

Google images of pontoon blinds. It will help explain how this could happen. I would not hunt out of one unless I built it myself and knew its characteristics.

---

On the contrary. I have a hard time understanding.

quote:

---

During air crew water survival in a pool of reasonably warm water, knowing you are about to be turned upside, and disoriented, there are still some that fail to get out, and would likely drown if not for the safety divers there to help them.

---

I did dunker training in the Army and it is the most anxious I have ever been in the water. Being strapped in and going upside down in water flips all the brain alarm bells. Given the difficulty in (as you say) reasonably warm water and being trained before hand and knowing EXACTLY what was going to happen I can't imagine this situation. You literally would have only a couple of seconds to make the plan and less than a minute to execute it and it wouldn't take much of a miscalculation to wind up dead.

My heart goes out to family and friends.