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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, May 30, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Buffalo NR Man Rescued After Cliff Jumping Accident On the afternoon of May 13th, a bystander contacted the host at Ozark campground and reported that a 43-year-old man was in need of immediate medical attention after jumping off a 60-foot cliff along the Buffalo River. The man was reported to have lost consciousness and was seen floating face down after hitting the water feet first. Rangers, an ambulance and a medevac helicopter responded and arrived within minutes of the initial call. The man was pulled out of the water by bystanders prior to the arrival of EMS units and was found lying on the ground, complaining of severe back pain but showing no signs of paralysis. He was treated by paramedics and airlifted to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The man's 38-year-old friend had dropped off the cliff first, but did not sustain any injuries. In an interview. the friend admitted that they both had smoked marijuana, taken several illegally obtained Xanax pills, and consumed about a case of beer prior to the accident. [Lee Buschkowsky, Upper District Ranger] Hot Springs NP Man Arrested After Making Death Threats Rangers were notified of a dispute among contract employees working on the rehabilitation of historic structures on Bath House Row on the morning of Wednesday, May 16th. They found that a man had made death threats against two other contract employees and that he'd then left the area. The threatened employees reported the incident, then departed to file protection orders. Rangers instituted incident scene safety precautions and learned that the man had fled to the city of Malvern, about 20 miles west of Hot Springs. There he confronted his employer and other employees and made threatening statements. At least one of the employees considered that she was being held against her will and advised that she believed that the man was armed. Malvern officers responded and took the man into custody without incident after a short standoff. He's to appear before a federal judge. The man has prior convictions for rape, statutory rape and aggravated robbery. Federal charges of failing to register as a sex offender and assault are pending. Ranger Luke Johnson is heading the investigation. [Dennis Stock, Chief Ranger] Olympic NP Man Succumbs After Lake Mills Canoe Accident D.“O.”R.O., 48, died on the afternoon of Monday, May 28th, after his canoe capsized, sending him into the water along with his companion, E.M., 42. The accident was reported to rangers at about 1:30 p.m. after a couple fishing in the area observed an overturned canoe near the south end of the Lake Mills reservoir in the Elwha Valley. Rangers responded and found E.M. onshore and D.R.O. unresponsive in the water. Accident investigators credit D.R.O. with saving E.M.'s life by helping her into the swamped canoe after it capsized. D.R.O. then declined to re-enter the canoe himself, fearing that it would sink under his additional weight. “This terrible accident underscores the risks associated with canoeing and water recreation,” said superintendent Bill Laitner. “Afternoon winds can quickly transform a peaceful outing into a harrowing or even tragic experience, and cold water is a constant hazard for water enthusiasts.” Although winds often remain relatively - and deceptively - calm at the north end of Lake Mills near the boat launch, winds frequently come up in the afternoons on the lake's south end. Winds of up to 25 miles per hour were blowing at the south end of the lake at the time of the accident, creating one-and-a-half to two-foot waves. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites appear below: Servicewide - The National Park Service has developed a quagga/zebra mussel infestation prevention and response planning guide to help parks plan for and manage this invasive organism. Delaware Water Gap NRA - Bill Halainen, management assistant at Delaware Water Gap NRA and editor of both the front page of InsideNPS and the NPS Morning Report, will be leaving the National Park Service on Friday, August 3rd, following 33 years of service in five parks and the Washington Office. To see the above articles, go to InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) or NPS Digest ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). For NPS incident reporting standards, go to HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-426-2430). --- ### --- |