LAKE STEVENS — The parents of an Eastern Washington University student who drowned during a school-sponsored river-rafting trip in 2006 have filed a lawsuit against the college.
Sara Varnum, 18, of Lake Stevens, was with about 20 other students on the Clark Fork River, west of Missoula, Mont. The college freshman fell from her raft and was swept away by the current. Varnum became pinned under a log and drowned. Her body was recovered several hours later.
Her parents believe their daughter’s death was avoidable.
The guides hired by the university through its outdoor recreation association, EPIC Adventure, failed to understand the danger a strainer log created in the Tumbleweed Rapids portion of the river, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Snohomish County Superior Court.
River-rafters describe strainers as anything that water can flow through but a solid object cannot. Common strainers are downed logs or large rocks stacked on each other. People can get pushed up against the strainer by the force of the water and can become pinned below the surface. Strainers are considered one of the most dangerous hazards for rafters.
The guides were advised of the strainer log the day before the trip, Everett attorney S. Daniel Campbell wrote in court papers. Another local river rafting company posted signs cautioning rafters at the drop-in site, court papers said. The guides were advised to cancel the trip through the portion of the river with the strainer, Campbell wrote.
The school and the outdoor recreation association failed to supervise, establish and enforce safety procedures, according to the lawsuit.
The university declined to comment about the allegations.
“We don’t comment on active lawsuits,” spokeswoman Kandi Carper said Tuesday.
Mike Johnston, owner of Montana River Guides, told The Herald in 2006 that his guides attempted to remove the log the night before Varnum’s death. They were unable to pull the log from the water and posted signs, warning rafters of the hazard, Johnston said.
Officials blew up the log the day after the accident.
Varnum graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 2005. She was on the high school swim team and had been planning to return home for the summer to work as a senior lifeguard.
Varnum planned to study nursing.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com.
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