Boy saved after fall in Tophet Brook

By Ryan Hutton
Posted: 07/31/2009 02:15:30 AM EDT


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ADAMS -- Rescuers pulled a 13-year-old boy from Tophet Brook after the recent rain fall turned the stream into a torrent roughly 24 feet wide.

According to police reports, the boy was swimming with friends at the "Big Basin" swimming hole when rain fall caused a "swift rise in the water level" and the boys left. As they were leaving the area, two of the boys fell into the brook. One was able to reach the bank and climb out, but the other remained trapped in the river. The boy was perched on a boulder about 12 feet into the river, which was had water frequently lapping at it.

The Adams Police Department received a call at 5:24 p.m. on Wednesday saying that a boy was trapped in the river. Officers Michael Wandri and Gregory Charon responded in minutes, and Charon managed to toss the boy a rope and had him secure it around his waist.

The Alert Hose Company arrived a few minutes later and began preparing a rescue.

"He was pretty secure at the time we arrived, but it was still very dangerous," said Fire Chief Stephen Brown. "We were able to pass to him a life jacket and a water helmet and had him put those on just in case. We were observing signs of hypothermia, so time was of the essence at that point."

Brown said they managed to extend a 28-foot ladder across to the boulder and prepared to send a rescuer out to the boy.

"The river was swollen to about 24 feet wide," he said. "That 28-foot ladder was just able



to get across. We checked the water depth before we put any rescuers in and at that point it was about two and a half to three feet deep and moving at about 25 miles per hour. That’s when we realized we could not put a rescuer in the water safely."
They had also established a rescue team downstream in the event that the boy fell into the water again, but Assistant Fire Chief Paul Goyette managed to crawl out to the boy using the ladder and managed to bring him back safely. Brown said the firefighters had people ready in cold water rescue suits and life jackets ready to go into the river if the boy slipped, but added that, thankfully, it didn’t come to that.

"Water at that depth and speed exerts hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch," Brown said. "It would not have been safe to send someone in. But if the situation turned bad, we would have done whatever we had to do."

According to the police reports the boy was carried up a hill back to the road where he was given immediate aid by the Adams Ambulance Company and taken to North Adams Regional Hospital as a precaution.

Both Brown and Adams Police Chief Donald Poirot said all those involved in the rescue acted admirably and bravely.

"I’m very proud of my officers," Poirot said. "Officer Charon took a lot of initiative to make sure the boy was secured until the Alerts arrived and were able to perform a rescue. He really went above and beyond."

Poirot said he is working on a certificate of commendation for the officers for their actions. He also cautioned others to avoid such dangers as the rain continues to fall on Berkshire County.

"It’s really a warning to avoid running water when there’s this much rain," he said. "We’ve had a lot of it and the ground is saturated. What we used to know as streams are now rivers."

To reach Ryan Hutton, e-mail rhutton@thetranscript.com.