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78 Comments
- Janinco, on 07/19/2009, -1/+78FTA
"Pederson was a strong swimmer who had recently joined the St. George/Washington County Search and Rescue Dive Team."
A parent will do whatever it takes to save their children.
Prayers for this man's family. - Ismith988, on 07/19/2009, -2/+56Hero
- CrazyArcher, on 07/19/2009, -0/+44A guy in Washington jumped into a river to save a toddler he didn't know. The little girl survived, but the man never resurfaced.
http://www.king5.com/localnews/south/stories/NW_07 ... - flip2trip, on 07/19/2009, -1/+37The water was around 50 degrees--- these people should have never been swimming in water this cold without using a PFD. What a tragedy for those boys. Sympathies to the family.
- milomilomilo, on 07/19/2009, -1/+27Not only do you sound like an insensitive *****, but you managed to use the darwin award comment for something that is the complete opposite.
The man gave his life to ensure the survival of his children, and continue his genetic line, like all decent parents would. - inactive, on 07/19/2009, -1/+17his offspring lived
- asgardshill, on 07/20/2009, -0/+14"Hypothermia can come on so quickly."
Too right. I almost succumbed to it in a California lake years ago in spite of wearing a full wet suit. The water felt warm to me (mid 60s at least), but I had all the symptoms of hypothermia not 10 minutes into the dive. My dive buddy saved my life by inflating my BC manually and terminating the dive. - Janinco, on 07/20/2009, -0/+13I live in Colorado and although the water is cold, we enjoy tubing and swimming in the lakes here in the summertime... it has been very sunny and I think the water temperature can be very deceiving.
My guess is that they had no idea how cold the water was. From the article it sounds like the kids were "playing" nearby and the dad was in the paddle boat.
Hypothermia can come on so quickly...it's a very sad situation, but I really hate to see the father blamed for this. It seems to me that it was a mistake in judgment, and one that ultimately cost him his life. - roebeet, on 07/19/2009, -1/+11He saved his kids - of course it was worth it.
- kernel16, on 07/19/2009, -1/+11Failure of massive proportion in a phrase containing only 3 words, amazing feat.
- goudie, on 07/19/2009, -0/+9Glad he saved his kids. To bad he had to pay for it with the ultimate sacrifice, his life...
- gcnaddict, on 07/19/2009, -0/+9:(
- costumemaker, on 07/19/2009, -1/+9:`(
- Janinco, on 07/20/2009, -0/+7You have a lot to learn, but you've got plenty of time, you are obviously still quite young.
- eyepennies, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6That IS good news!
douche. - Janinco, on 07/20/2009, -0/+5You are sick.
- TonyLocNE, on 07/19/2009, -5/+10Go ***** kill yourself. It would be worth it to know that you will never have children.
- asgardshill, on 07/19/2009, -4/+9I have to wonder what motivated this man to allow his sons to swim in such cold water with (apparently) no personal flotation devices to begin with. The threshold for hypothermia potential begins with water temperatures in the 70s and below, and this particular water was in the low 50s per the article.
Yes what he did to try to save them is what every father should do for their children, but I question his allowing such a bad and dangerous situation to occur in the first place. - thoughtsonthis, on 07/20/2009, -0/+4Very tragic story. Prayers for Shawn Pederson and all his family.
- zuiquan, on 07/20/2009, -0/+4This may sound crass but that guy was obviously some sort of huge dumbass. It's a mountain lake, anyone with any sense at all knows they can be stupid cold even in the middle of summer. Where were everyone's PFDs? He was in a freaking boat. He couldn't reach his kids while in the boat and yank them aboard? Why wasn't he, at the very least, wearing a vest? This is just a fail all the way from the get go. Now his poor kids get to grow up without a dad because somebody didn't think through the consequences of their day out on the water. You can't breathe that ***** if you get tired and slip below the surface. You die pretty much every time. Plan the ***** ahead.
Commence burying. - applemaggot, on 07/20/2009, -0/+4The lilly pads will wear you out trying to swim in. This same thing happened to a close friend I knew in Seattle in Bitter Lake. Please wear flotation, even in the "pond" near your house. In my friends case, neither the child, or the father made it.
- lexpattison, on 07/20/2009, -2/+6Not a hero - an idiot who just orphaned his children. I can't believe he would let his children swim in Mountain fed water considering he had the knowledge and training as a rescue diver.
If they all had died, people would be wondering why he went swimming without vests in those conditions... I feel so sorry for those children who now have to live without their father.
Goes to show that there are so many people who nonchalantly risk their lives under the impression that it will never happen to them. - bdigital24, on 07/20/2009, -0/+4What didn't he read? It was a legitimate question with a reasonable answer (see the comment above yours)
- inigomntoya, on 07/20/2009, -0/+4I agree. Complete sympathy, but I wonder why they tried teaching the boys to swim in such cold water. Even a member of the Search and Rescue Dive Team wasn't able to make it out.
So tragic. Proof that parents will do anything to save their children. But, at the same time, let's test the water before we throw our kids in, shall we? - mk2ja, on 07/20/2009, -0/+3No man has greater love than he who lays down his life for another. - Jn 15:13
- Fasterthanthou, on 07/20/2009, -0/+3prayers here
you did a good thing man - paulmer2003, on 07/19/2009, -1/+4Tragic, yet heroic.
I wish we had more people like you, Shawn. - costumemaker, on 07/19/2009, -0/+3Oh my GOD reallly!!?? I would totally go there but I don't have internet access :(
- rl41, on 07/19/2009, -1/+4This is a good news? Spammers are this lazy?
- nullview, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2We will all check out. One morning you wake up, not knowing it is your last. Everyone dies. Very, very few die with the courage and heroism displayed here.
- IgorUnchained, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2The world lost a worthwhile father....and that is a loss. Too few of them out there as it was.
This is the saddest story I have read in a very long time. Im glad the boys survived and that
my faith in humanity got a needed boost. - Charlotte_Web, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2The dense vegetation on the floor of the lake seemed to have played a role.
- cygnus2112, on 07/20/2009, -1/+3Your parents have failed. Hopefully, natural selection will run it's course sooner rather than later.
- ChadN, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2One accidental breathfull of water is all it can take to kill you. Panic -> more aspiration of water -> dead. :(
- apzdsx, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2Take some Pepto-Bismol.
- crackerjack20, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2I jumped into a frozen lake to save a dog that had fallen through the ice about 8 feet from the shore. I was only in the water for about 20 seconds, but I can see how it's easy to drown in cases like that.
- falhiem, on 07/20/2009, -5/+7This guy didn't molest children and die of a drug overdose, can we please get back to the deaths that matter like Michael Jacksons?
- Bigballa5412, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2Sometimes when you win, you lose.
His kids lives were spared, albeit they may be tormented with the memory for the remainder of their lives, maybe even a deep sense of guilt.
The father did a good thing, its tragic that his kids can never thank him for it. - inactive, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2Rest in Peace.
- catalysis, on 07/20/2009, -1/+3I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I don't understand how someone who was joining a search and rescue dive team could drown in 8 ft of water. Maybe there is more to the story. I mean, when I was a kid we used to break through 3 inches of ice to go swimming in the freezing water. It was cold but you could still swim in it for a while. Also, many recreational swimming areas in lakes have like 6 ft of water and then another 5-10 feet of weeds underneath it but it isn't a swimming hazard. I'm not questioning his heroism, these stories are just strange sometimes.
- catalysis, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2I live in Chicago and right now the Lake Michigan water temp is 65F. All of the beaches have been open since May when the water was below 60 and thousands of people are swimming. I don't think the water ever goes much over 70 throughout the entire summer.
- ryanhayn, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2Mormons aren't supposed to lie.
- spilo101, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2I didnt get it, how did he not reach the shore if he handed the girl to the people on the shore?
- inactive, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2I just don't get how someone can drown that easily when all you need to do is take a big gulp of air and float on your back until you're capable of swimming again. He sure did do a lot of stupid things for being part of the rescue team.
- spilo101, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2Was not wise to let 5 and 7 year olds swim without life preservers, but this is the one great way to die (unlike some who will die on the couch with a bucket of KFC in one hand while digging with oily fingers on a laptop with another hand)
- Charlotte_Web, on 07/20/2009, -0/+2The article seemed to indicate that it was a combination of the cold water, getting tangled in the vegetation, and the fact that he wasn't wearing a life preserver.
People tend to think that nature is a lot more forgiving than it is. - zuiquan, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1Like a lot of guys that are on Rescue Teams/SWAT/SpecOps he probably thought he was invincible and so didn't plan ahead or follow any proper safety precautions. It's one thing to be unlucky and die, it's another to die as a result of not thinking. Just like all these dumbasses that go hiking in the mountains in the springtime and don't plan for inclement weather and then get turned into popsicles when the storms roll in. Stupid.
- oldhick, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1The panic comes after you've taken a breathfull of water. When your lungs fill with water, you will panic.
- Janinco, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1Most people don't wear flotation devices when they are playing/swimming in water at a lake. The father was in a paddle boat and other adults were nearby on the shore.
It is very easy to criticize and second guess after the fact.
It was a warm summer day...give the poor man a break.
It was a tragic accident. - MattM0914, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1Seems like he should have known better than to let his children swim in the water without testing it himself, especially considering that he was clearly an experienced diver.
That being said, I admire him for sacrificing himself to save his kids. To call him a hero wouldn't be accurate, as he wasn't really being heroic, only doing his duty as a father. (No disrespect intended) Any good man would have done the same thing in that situation.
My sympathy goes out to his children... In a world with so many worthless deadbeat fathers, it's truly a tragedy when someone loses a good one. -
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