A 44-year-old man from Overland who was rescued after swimming in the Big River near Rockford Park in House Springs on June 28 died later that day at the hospital.
According to a written statement from the High Ridge Fire Protection District, firefighters were dispatched to the park on the evening of June 28 after the man’s two sons saw him go underwater and not resurface, officials reported.
Before crews arrived, a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy had entered the water and attempted to locate and rescue the man. While the deputy wasn’t able to locate him, the deputy “was able to provide immediate, critical information to our crews about the victim’s last known location,” High Ridge Fire said in its report.
Rescue crews pulled the man out of the water approximately 12 minutes after he was last seen, the fire district reported.
The man was rushed to SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton in extremely critical condition, where he died later that night, according to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
“This drowning comes on the heels of the near-drowning of a father and son at Rockford Park just five days (earlier) and is the third response to the park for a rescue or drowning in two weeks,” the fire district reported. “We implore people to please heed the warnings posted at the park and refrain from swimming in the river – it is not worth the risk.”
Rockford Park has been the site of drownings for at least a decade, with six drownings occurring since 2014, because people tend to misjudge the strength of the Big River’s current at the park’s access point, officials said.
Last summer, the fire district responded to 10 emergency calls for water rescues on the Big River, and one person drowned. In 2023, two people drowned.
Near-drowning
A day later, at about 6 p.m. June 29, High Ridge Fire was again called to Rockford Park due to a report of a 29-year-old man nearly drowning in the Big River.
According to a statement from the fire protection district, the man was swimming in the middle of the river, became trapped by the current and went underwater.
“Other people nearby were able to get his head above water and help him to the rock dam,” the fire district reported. “When our first crew arrived on scene, they assisted walking him to shore.”
According to the statement, paramedics from the Big River Ambulance District evaluated the man, and he refused treatment.
“For the second straight day, crews have responded to Rockford Park for a drowning,” the Big River Ambulance District said in a June 29 Facebook post. “The (second victim) was more fortunate than the last, who, unfortunately, perished hours later at the hospital. Swimming at Rockford is not recommended, not encouraged, frowned upon and not safe. Continuing to respond here for drownings is disheartening, despite attempts with public education regarding the hazards.”