MURRAY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Two people are dead after a terrible accident on a popular stretch of the Jordan River.
They were making a short practice run in their kayaks when they got caught in a powerful undertow and never made it out.
The scene of the accident is 1190 West Winchester Drive in Murray. Hundreds walk, jog, cycle, hike and play along the river, and sometimes float on it.
The woman who drowned there Sunday was reportedly an experienced kayaker. Her husband was somewhat experienced.
But they had no idea drifting over that seemingly docile waterfall could be far more dangerous than running the rapids of the Snake River.
Kevin Winsness was the first person on the scene. He called 911, grabbed a tree limb and tried to reach the stranded swimmers as he witnessed the current’s power.
“It's amazing. It's so deceptive. I can tell you if you waded out from that rock six feet. You will not get out," Winsness said.
Not even a team of a dozen certified swift-water rescuers could pull the stranded kayakers out alive.
"The male patient recirculated for a while but then was let loose. When Murray and Midvale Fire arrived on scene the female patient was still recirculating," said John Harris.
Harris says he’s run the Snake River rapids and this spot is more dangerous.
"The problem with a low-head dam is that it spans the width of the river, so there's not a lot of flow around the obstacle. So no matter where you go you're gonna hit that circular current," said Harris.
One hundred yards upstream, warning signs ordering rafters out of the water are hidden in thick overgrown brush.
Calls to address the problem have gone unheeded.
ABC 4 spoke with Jeff Salt, a Great Salt Lake Keeper about the hazard. He says municipal, county, state and federal government entities know about it. Salt says his organization has a plan to let people know about the problems of the area.
