Following harrowing Manuels River rescue, this mom urges caution

After watching a raging Manuels River sweep away her son in its current and a stranger's dramatic rescue, a mother from St. John'shas a warning for others ofhow dangerous its waters can be.

Gina and Franke Kelly were enjoying a warm afternoon's walk along the river in Conception Bay South on June 5. It had been rainy the day before, and Gina Kelly said the waters were running high and strong.

Butafter seeing several sunbathers the two decided to stop and wade.

"When you got a little bit away from the shore, you could feel the current really strong under your feet, and the slippery rocks, but I didn't think it was that dangerous," Gina Kelly said.

Franke, 8, playeda game with the current, letting it carry him for a bit until he stopped on a few rocks. After catching a chill, Gina Kelly stepped back onto shore, and as she stood and watched, the current surged and carried Franke past his stopping point.

'I couldn't really think about anything'

Gina Kelly reached out to grab him, and fell short.

"I started to go underwater, and Iwas trying to get out of the water, and Icouldn't really breathe," Franke said.

"Assoon as he got out of my reach, he was fast. He went 10 feet in about twoseconds," said Gina.

Gina Kelly began to run alongside the river as Frankewas swept further downstream.

"He was floating away from me, and his head was going back and forth under the water," she said.

"Iwas scared. Icouldn't really think about anything," said Franke.

As Franke was pulled under abridge, Gina saw a stranger jump into the water and catch her son. Another man came to help and she got into the water as well.

A warning

Everyone made it back to shore, with minor scrapes and bruises.

But the rescue has shaken the Kellys, who want others to understand how quickly something can go wrong, even in what was shallow water.

"Iwasn't on my phone. Iwas standing right there next to him, and he was just out of my reach," she said.

Neither Kelly is a poor swimmer. Gina Kelly has swum the tickle between Portugal Cove-St. Philip'sand Bell Island, and as she trains for triathlons Franke often swims beside her.But that didn't matter on that June afternoon.

"Ifelt foolish that I didn't realize that the water could be that strong," said Gina.

The water levels on Manuel River have since returned to a more tranquil normal, but the Kellys are speaking out in the hopes no one else underestimates it, orany body of water running at high levels.

"Ijust would've felt really bad if the same thing happened to someone else, and I hadn't reported it or told anyone, becauseyou really need to be careful," said Gina Kelly.

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