ARLINGTON – A father drowned in the Stillaguamish River on Friday while saving the life of his 12-year-old son.
Kevin Nortz / The Herald
It was the second drowning in Snohomish County in two days.
Fire officials say the 47-year-old man and his son were swimming under a railroad bridge near Haller Park when the two got into trouble.
Two 15-year-old boys jumped into the river after the man repeatedly called for help. They pulled the boy to shore, but the man slipped under the water while trying to help his son.
“The dad was pretty much helping the son, then he went under,” said Conrad Nichuals, who helped pull the boy to shore.
When the 12-year-old reached the shore, he was crying and telling Conrad and Casey Saunders, the other teen who helped, to go back in and save his father.
“I sat down with the kid for five seconds, and he kept saying, ‘Go get my dad! Go get my dad!’ ” Casey said.
Firefighters from Arlington Heights quickly used a hovercraft to search for the father, and Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies who carry dive equipment in their patrol cars also responded, Arlington Police Chief John Gray said.
A diver found the man about 35 minutes later in about 10 feet of murky water near where he was last seen.
Paramedics attempted to revive the man for about 20 minutes, Gray said. He was taken to Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington, but died. His identity was not released Friday.
Danielle Boyce, 14, and a Conrad’s 12-year-old sister, Melissa, swam across the river and comforted the rescued boy.
“He kept saying his dad saved his life,” Danielle said.
The boy was in the care of his grandparents Friday evening, fire officials said.
It wasn’t clear why the two began struggling in the water, Gray said.
The current is not swift this time of year, but the river bottom is uneven and drops off quickly, he said.
Witnesses said the two got caught up in a whirlpool formed by several streams of converging water. Casey said he and three friends got caught in the same spot last summer but were able to pull themselves out.
“People think it’s no big deal, and then something happens,” he said.
On Thursday, a 37-year-old Everett man drowned while trying to retrieve a shoe from the Snohomish River near Sultan. The man couldn’t swim, Sultan Fire Chief Merlin Halverson said. His body was found in about 15 feet of water about 30 feet from shore.
“It’s real unfortunate. It’s been two in two days” said Sgt. John Flood of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, who supervises the county’s dive team.
Fire officials and police warn swimmers to use extreme caution when swimming in the county’s river and lakes.
“The hot weather tempts people to places that are not necessarily designed for safe swimming,” Gray said. “With one step, a person can be gone.”
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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