LAWRENCEVILLE — Ten children and one adult were rescued from the Alcovy River in Lawrenceville Saturday. When firefighters arrived on the scene they found a group of children on the rocks below the falls and a father and child on top of the falls in the middle of the river.
The river was rain swollen due to a recent thunderstorm, which created treacherous rapids and swift current conditions.
Firefighters and police responded at 4:52pm to the multi-victim river rescue incident at Freemans Mill Park. The park is located in the 1400 block of Alcovy Road in unincorporated Lawrenceville.
Fire officials say the caller to 911 was a frantic female who advised that multiple children were stranded in the river rapids.
As additional units were responding to the scene two fire crews, made an immediate rescue of a child who was about to go over the top of the falls to a nearly 10-foot drop in raging waters.
Two firefighters donned their flotation devices, tethered to a rope, and entered the water to gain access to the child. The firefighters were able to bring the child safely back to shore.
The other children stranded on the rocks were successfully removed from the water by the additional fire crews.
The children were on the rocks in the middle of the river below the rapids. Fire crews deployed rope rescue bags and established down-river safety points to remove the children. Firefighters were able to get lifejackets out to part of the group as they awaited rescue.
Two more fire crews were able to rescue the father and son who were in immediate danger of going over the top of the falls and being swept away by the swift current.
According to the incident commander, crews were able to successfully rescue all eleven people from the river by 5:51pm.
The group was assessed by paramedics and transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. There were no obvious injuries noted.
Fire officials say they believe the group was part of a large multi-family gathering that was picnicking near the edge of the river. They were located at the bottom of the trail near the watermill.
Signs posted in the area warn patrons not to enter the water,” Gwinnett County Fire Dept. spokesman Tommy Rutledge said. “This was a successful river rescue operation by multiple units at the scene. The brave actions of the firefighters kept the situation from becoming a tragedy for the families involved.”
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