
| Scenic River Claims Another Life |
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| Written by Brooks Baehr - bbaehr@kgmb9.com | |||
| May 27, 2008 10:27 PM | |||
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Hawaii's waterfalls are both picturesque and dangerous. They entice thrill seekers to push the limits. And Tuesday, for the second time in three days, a man seeking adventure at a waterfall on the Big Island fell to his death. Vincent Scerbo, 27, tumbled to his death at Pe'epe'e Falls on the Wailuku River above Hilo. Police said Scerbo's girlfriend witnessed the fall. "Just when she got out of the water she said call 911. Then she ran to call 911," said Russ Stead, a visitor from Canada who was sightseeing along the Wailuku River when Scerbo fell. A diver from the Hawaii Fire Department found Scerbo's body submerged in the pool below Pe'epe'e Falls. Police and firefighters believe Scerbo's death was a tragic accident. "Whether his hand slipped off the rock because the rock was slippery or whether a rock came lose that he was grabbing onto I don't know," said Battalion Chief Bob Bailey. Bailey was there when they pulled Scerbo from the water. His experience with tragedy at Pe'epe'e Falls and a nearby spot called Boiling Pots goes back more than 40 years. "Unfortunately I lost two of my friends in that river back in 1967, and since then I have gone back to the river numerous amounts of times for other people and most of the time the results were the same. Tragedy," Bailey told KGMB9. Just this past Sunday there was another tragedy in a Big Island river. Andrew "Phelps" Wright, 27 of Hilo, was killed while jumping from a ledge estimated to be 85 feet above the stream at Onomea. A search of KGMB9 records shows Boiling Pots and Pe'epe'e Falls are among the deadliest spots along streams and rivers in Hawaii. Scerbo is the third person to be killed there since 2002. Only two other waterfalls have had as many death since 2002. Three people have died at Kipu Falls on Kauai. And six people have been killed at Oheo Gulch on Maui, also known as the Seven Sacred Pools. On Oahu, two people have died in the past five years at Kapena Falls, which is just off Pali Highway in Nuuanu. Bailey said when the rivers run high the currents are strong. And when the water is low slippery rocks are exposed and people tend to lose their footing. Bailey's advice: "Stay out of the fresh water rivers. There's too many dangers lurking in these rivers." |
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| Last Updated ( May 29, 2008 07:15 PM ) | |||
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