Friends of Derek James Woodrow erected a monument Sunday on the portion of dike adjacent to where Woodrow drowned Saturday afternoon.
The 19-year-old Keremeos resident became trapped in a boulder-laced channel of the Similkameen River after falling out of a raft on July 20.
He was tied in but his rope came undone, said Woodrow’s friends Monday morning, gathering in tribute around the memorial.
A rope bobbing on the riverbed marked the spot where Woodrow’s body was recovered.
“He was a good swimmer, he knew this river, he grew up around it, said A.J., a friend of Woodrow.
Woodrow went tubing often and knew better than to tie a rope around his leg, A.J. added, countering suggestions Woodrow had a rope attached to a cooler tied to his leg.
“I wish I had been here,” A.J. said bitterly. “I would have gotten him out.”
Six friends in five rafts set out from Red Bridge Saturday afternoon for a leisurely cruise to Kobau Park.
The accident occurred just west of the intersection of 12th Avenue and 2nd Street.
The river is wide at this point, most of it running over a shallow gravel bar. Close to the dike, however, a deeper, swifter channel of water runs.
The Similkameen River is higher than normal for this time of year, due to late runoff and excessive rains in June.
Shock and mourning over the incident was interspersed with moments of anger from the group of friends gathered around the shrine.
“We shouldn’t have had to wait three and a half hours to get his body out,” said Shawn, who was disgusted with the way rescue personnel stood by, preventing friends and family from accessing the scene.
“We would have formed a human chain and gotten him out.”
Those on scene at the time of the accident made several attempts to get to their friend, said Shawn, who estimated that a half hour passed from the time of the incident to the arrival of emergency personnel.
Several of Woodrow’s friends gathered Saturday night and built the memorial for him. It was placed on the dike Sunday afternoon during an impromptu service.
“This whole area was packed with people,” said Stacey, who was also at the site Monday morning.
A tent was erected Saturday night on the dike, where Woodrow’s sister has been holding nightly vigils since the accident.
“She was with her brother when it happened, and she can’t leave the site,” said Jade tearfully, adding that friends are also camping out with her.
Maureen Purser, Woodrow’s grandmother, told the Review Monday that the family understands the difficulties faced by emergency personnel, adding that they feel no malice towards the emergency crews.
“My daughter was so upset,” she said, “and so were Derek’s friends, because his body was there for so long.
“But I think everyone understands now how impossible it would have been for anyone to help Derek.”
Members of local emergency services expressed their sympathies to family and friends of the victim on Monday.
Keremeos Volunteer Fire Chief Jordy Bosscha said the department performed to the limits of their training during the incident, noting that the department is not trained to handle river conditions such as those that existed at the drowning site on Saturday.
“These type of incidents can develop very quickly,” said Bosscha.
“There’s not a lot of time when a victim is trapped underwater.”
Members of Penticton’s Search and Rescue Swift water Rescue Team recovered the body Saturday evening.
A service is being planned to take place at Cawston Hall on July 27 and a bottle drive is already underway to help the family with expenses.
