Another Raft Warning

I, too, want people to know the other side of river rafting. (“Raft Warning,” Letters, Oct. 2) On my rafting trip with a group of friends down the American River five years ago, I was part of the “rescue” boat that picked up people who fell in. It was usually rather comical, until one time our guide’s frantic commands told us the girl in the water was in trouble. Later, in rapids, the guide fell forward onto me as my foot was crushed between the pontoon and a rock. I can no longer bend the toes on that foot. The group went rafting the following year and I chose not to go. My friend’s 19-year-old sister drowned on that trip. Her foot was caught between rocks, her ankle broken and they had to lower the river to find her body. I know that many people have happy, safe rafting trips, but I feel that people considering rafting need to be more aware of the potential dangers.

LORNA J. HOUCK

Diamond Bar