Polk County reserve deputy Derrick Angelus explains state regulations concerning life jackets to a group who recently purchased an oversize paddleboard at Wheatland Ferry on the Willamette River on Sunday, July 18. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office rescued two women who had become stranded on a gravel bar north of Keizer Rapids Park Thursday night.
A Polk County Sheriff’s Office news release Friday said 20-year-old Jackeline Garcia, of Woodburn, and 19-year-old Shibana Lazaro-Aguirre, of Wilsonville, planned to float in inner tubes around Keizer Rapids Park Thursday evening.
But due to the strong current, the sheriff’s office said they floated past their intended area and got stranded on a gravel bar 500 yards north of the park.
The women called 911 and a Polk County Sheriff’s Office boat rescued them. The sheriff’s office said they weren’t wearing life jackets and advised people recreating on the river to always wear one.
-Saphara Harrell
