Why Some Of Yosemite’s Most Beautiful Features Are Also Its Most Dangerous

California’s Yosemite National Park is home to countless waterfalls and streams, and, while they may be some of the area’s most beautiful features, they are also some of its most dangerous, explains a local attorney. Approximately 20 percent of the park’s search-and-rescue missions are to water-related accidents. The second leading cause of fatality in Yosemite, drowning incidents tend to peak when the snow melts in the spring, inundating tributaries with cold, swift waters. With a spate of personal injury and fatal accidents in recent months, many involving water, 2011 is proving to be one of the deadliest years in the park.

The most recent water-related fatalities occurred when three hikers were swept over the 317-foot-high Vernal Fall on July 19th. Visiting the park with a church group from Modesto, the hikers climbed over metal barricades and entered the water, only to quickly be pulled in. High water levels in the Merced River interfered with initial search-and-rescue efforts; however, when water levels receded recently, rescue teams were able to find the body of one of the hikers, reported the Los Angeles Times. The search continues for the others.

Nearly half of the fatalities suffered at Yosemite this year have involved water. In addition to the three hikers killed on July 19th, two people drowned in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in June, and a hiker fell and drowned in the Merced River in May. According to the U.S. National Park Service, there are between 15 and 20 water-related visitor rescues every year in Yosemite. Such incidents are attributable to a variety of causes: swimming, boating, and rafting accidents, falls, crossing streams, and slipping off of rocks.

Heavy snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and surrounding mountains may account for the increased incidence of drowning in Yosemite and other Southern California waterways. In the case of the Merced River, conditions already rough in a normal year became worse when the snow melted during spring. Throughout California’s Central Valley, specifically the Kern River, emergency workers have responded to more personal injury and fatal accidents this year than in the last ten, explains a local attorney. In just two months, nine drowning fatalities were recorded in the Kaweah, Kings, and Tuolomne Rivers.

Rapid currents and extremely cold temperatures are two reasons why even the strongest of swimmers have drowned. The impact of hypothermia on the body can render swimmers too weak to withstand the current. Moreover, swimmers may become caught between narrow gaps in river rocks or by submerged tree branches.

While the National Park Service recommends that visitors always heed warning signs and stay out of dangerous waters, if they do find themselves in swift water conditions, they should stay on their backs with their feet pointing downstream and on the surface of the water until it is safe to swim to shore.

By: Larry Drexel

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Larry Drexel is a Public Relations manager. To obtain free, informative books or articles he suggests visiting California personal injury attorney.