In the blink of an eye
Daring the rain to catch us, Bonnie and I took the convertible out for a run to a nearby bistro for lunch yesterday (where these photos were taken.)
Our route back passed by Cooleemee River Park (BullHole), NC, a location where I’ve often shot and posted photos of the dam, river and waterfalls — some of which you can find here and here. It was pure chance we decided to stop to see how high the water levels were after weeks of scattered thunderstorms. The water was high but not as high as I’ve seen it before.
Upon arriving riverside we found there were already a number of people about — a friendly stranger shared a kind warning with us that the rocks around the water’s edge were very slick. We only stayed perhaps 15-20 minutes watching with disbelief some of the antics as people played in the powerfully moving water, including sliding down some of the rocked slopes the water was overflowing. I even captured a few minutes of video of this activity on my iPhone because it was so unbelievable.
As we begin walking back to our car we met the same friendly stranger, who reports say was looking after his sons as they fished. When passing he shared a thought along with a shake of his head, “These people are crazy.” We agreed.
This morning we learned 20 minutes after we left the park this friendly stranger jumped into the water to save someone’s dog being carried away by the current. He was pulled under and drowned. It took hours to find his body.
He no doubt didn’t consider the danger when he jumped in — it was probably more instinctual than a conscious decision — a dog was in trouble. Bonnie and I both feel somewhat haunted by what we can only frame as a sense of unfairness, this situation was created by others’ “craziness.”
I’ll never be able to visit this park again without thinking of this man — his impact on us has extended well beyond the few seconds we shared. I hope if there’s any type of reward after death for those good things you do in life that trying to save a helpless creature earns a lot of bonus points.
Note: The dog was rescued by others who also entered the river.
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Damn! What a story. Sorry to hear about that tragic ending, Earl.
Thanks, Paul. As we were walking back to our car we were commenting how it’s amazing no one had gotten hurt yet. Little did we know what was about to happen.
Whoa! It does not take much to bring on mishaps with sad endings such as this story. Yes, bonus points for him. I love these two images both because of their perspective and tonality. Well done.
Monte, Yeah, It often comes down to a single bad choice. Thank on the photos.
Life often turns on a dime, how sad.
Steve, certainly makes your think about how precious life is.
Sad, but nice telling of the story, Earl.
Chris, thanks. I felt the need to at least recount the story as we knew it.
I’ve seen stories like this on the news, although they usually occur in the winter and involve thin ice. Some dog (or other animal) gets caught in a dangerous situation and a person attempts a rescue. Most of the time the animal survives but all too often the person doesn’t. This may sound harsh, but I’ve never understood risking a human life to save an animal. If you have other people helping and safety devices (like ropes), then fine. All creatures deserve a chance to live. But plunging into fast-moving water to rescue a dog doesn’t make sense to me. It’s like running into a burning house to save someone’s pet. Or swerving into a telephone pole to avoid running over a raccoon. Letting an animal perish is admittedly a hard choice. But what about the family of this poor man? What price will they have to pay for his heroics?
On a much lighter note, I love the black and white treatment of the walkway. Strong shadows – like these – look much better (in my opinion) in monochrome.
Paul, I don’t think it’s harsh. It’s simply honest. He made a rash decision jumping in the water after the dog. That’s the reason I believe it was probably more instinctual than a conscious decision…but maybe I’m wrong. Still it doesn’t matter, the results were the same and I totally agree with you. Even as much as I love dogs, it’s never worth a person’s life.
Yes, I’ve come to prefer the black and white version of this walkway as well. Thanks.
Seems like an instinctual reaction to me also, and I think it is hard for anyone to judge what they would or wouldn’t do after the fact. Sad ending though. Love the tones in these images Earl, especially the one with the angled walkway.
Hi Mark…thanks.
It can be difficult to understand why anyone would risk their lives for the sake of an animal. But most times when this happens, I suspect a person is trying to save a pet not just some random animal and that might just be because on some level we know what that animal might mean to someone else; a young child or an elderly. That man who jumped in to save the dog may simply have acted (subconsciously) as a charitable act for the sake of the pet’s owner. Even if he didn’t know who that was. Who knows.
The black and white shot is eye-catching by the way.
Cedric, I believe this decision was instinctual, reflecting the core values of the man who made it. So touched by this event, we’ve been in contact with the minister from his church looking for a way to help his family (three teenage sons left behind.) He said this man was always helping others when he could — it was who he was and taking to the river to save the dog was probably just a natural reaction.
Thanks.
I’ve read this whole thread, and I’m just gonna say that, to me, there is a responsibility felt towards other inhabitants of this planet, whether they be animal or human. And, that responsibility sometimes leads people to do things that MIGHT seem like it violates an implied order of importance; the implication being that people are more important than animals.
I don’t doubt that to some, sacrificing oneself for a dog might seem crazy. And I agree that someone’s pet has, attached to that creature, a set of emotional ties that we might be sympathetic towards. But I also know there is an instinct in some people to help a fellow inhabitant of this planet who might be in danger, whether they be person, pet, dolphin, beached whale, bird, whatever. In other words, to help a living thing who is not human.
I don’t know whether I’m making any sense, and there’s a part of me that thinks I should just delete this before it gets posted because I might get labeled a whack job.
But, as has been shown to be true over and over through countless examples in both war and peacetime, if they would (as they often do) risk themselves for us, why wouldn’t we want to do the same for them?
I would probably have gone after the dog. I would, at least, hoped I’d be brave enough to try.
Chris, I understand what you’re saying and on many levels I would hope I’d be brave enough to try as well. I believe as human beings there is a “duty” to help those we encounter who are in danger…man or animal. Perhaps I feel with our power of higher reasoning also comes a responsibility.
However, this man leaves three teenage sons to grow up without a father — a family who will struggle to make ends meet, their mother being partially disabled. So logic screams to me he shouldn’t have taken the risk…for a dog, for a pet, for anyone? It wasn’t just his future he was risking. But as I comment to Cedric, those who knew him say it was part of his core being to help others when he saw them in need.
We’ve struggled with the irony of the situation as well. There were many people at this riverside park who were taking part in very risky behavior — playing in the water, letting their kids play in the water, venturing onto rocks and the dam where they shouldn’t have been even in dryer times. However, from what we observed, this man seemed to be among the most rational. He was not in the water himself and was carefully watching over his sons as they fished. For him to be the one to drown seems unjust.