Rochester teen expected to be OK after canoe crash in the Boundary Waters
Update #2: A Rochester teen was airlifted to safety following a canoe crash late Tuesday morning in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota.
Asher Bloom, 15, spent several hours trapped in the water before being rescued. By the time rescuers freed him, he was “nearly unconscious,” local officials told the Duluth News Tribune.
Three #rochmn teens rescued Tue. from rapids in BWCA. A 15-year-old pinned by rocks for about 8 hrs, hospitalized. http://t.co/nvHWflkFZz
— Kay Fate (@PBkayfate) July 8, 2015
He suffered extreme hypothermia and an ankle fracture, but is otherwise expected to be OK, notes the Associated Press.
According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the teen's canoe went over Basswood Falls, a drop of approximately 25-30 feet. On the way down, his leg got pinned between his damaged canoe and some rocks.
Two other teens in the canoe were not injured.
UPDATE: Injured young canoeist 'nearly unconscious' before rescue at foot of falls in BWCA http://t.co/R1uoIdZu4x pic.twitter.com/9gz3uMzcuU
— Paul Walsh (@walshpj) July 8, 2015
The location of the accident was so remote that rescuers had to portage and canoe into the area to reach the trapped teen, says Northland’s NewsService.
The teens were on at least one of four canoes in the group from Calvary Baptist Church in Rochester. The Star Tribune reports that officials have heard multiple different stories from the group regarding whether they intended to ride down the falls. The local sheriff described it as a "series of rapids."
BWCA rescue: Minnetonka man died two years ago when canoe went over same waterfall: http://t.co/0MBYFPtJBh pic.twitter.com/MQ1rfWxO1j
— Pioneer Press (@PioneerPress) July 8, 2015
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