Dear editor,
Regarding the woman rescued from Stotan Falls on Aug. 5 and calling for increased safety measures (Calls for Stotan Falls safety measures, Aug. 21 Record), take note: they don’t call them rapids and falls for nothing. You enter at your own risk, just like you would before getting behind the steering wheel of a car.
And for the record, in 2008 there were 91 accidental drowning deaths in B.C., while in 2016 there were 47.
The numbers have been steadily declining.
Of the 47 deaths in 2016, 10 were on Vancouver Island, three were in Comox Lake and none were in any of our local rivers.
The closest fatalities in a river occurred on the Cowichan.
Best to know the facts before calling for drastic measures, like closing off the area, because of the errors of a few.
Shelley Kean
Courtenay
