What was supposed to be a day of adventure turned into a day of survival for Kelli Braswell and Krista Hall on the Salt River over the weekend.
Their trip down the so-called Awesome Lazy River turned out to be anything but awesome.
“We thought we were going to die, we really did,” Hall told WHAS 11 News.
The experience takes you through nature on a tube, and it supposed to last about three hours. Starting at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, the women expected to be back on land around 1:30 p.m.
“About 2:30, we thought this has to be ending soon, we have to be getting to the end, it's probably right around the bend, right around the bend,” Braswell explained.
Hall and Braswell said they never saw anyone directing them out of the water, or even a clear sign pointing to the exit ramp. Both tell WHAS11 News they got no instructions on what to do from the rafting company before they set out.
So, they floated, and paddled, and floated more. At one point, they pulled to the side, dumped their tubes and tried to climb a hill to find help. It was too muddy, so they went back to their tubes and floated some more.
It got to the point where they were so dehydrated, it was hard to talk, never mind call for help.
“We would take sips of the river water, we would row and take turns yelling for help,” Braswell said.
Running into other tubers along the way and trying to find service to call 911, the women, and the group of tubers with them were able to stop at Fort Knox.
A helicopter and first responders came to the rescue.
They were 28 miles from where they started and it was nearly eight hours later. Officials reported about a dozen people stranded that day.
“We just don't want this to happen to anyone else,” Braswell said.
When they returned to their car, the place was closed and employees were gone. The only thing left was a note that read: We apologize for the events of today at the Awesome Lazy River. Please Call the manager so we can try to make it up to you.
If I was the manager of that company, I would've been there and made sure that everyone returned safely, I would've showed concern and compassion, and there was nothing,” Braswell explained.
We reached out to the company who sent us this statement:
We sincerely thank the emergency personnel who assisted people from the river on Saturday. We are looking into these events and will continue to cooperate with all involved parties.