A family was swept away by the current of the Chattahoochee River in Buford this weekend and needed rescuing.
Around 2:49 p.m. on Sunday, a 911 caller said that his wife and daughter were trapped in the current of the river.
Emergency crews were able to look down on the river from the Cumming Highway bridge over the Chattahoochee River. They saw two victims from the bridge and made their way to the riverbank with rescue equipment.
The father and son were on the bank and unharmed. The mother and daughter, however, were too far from the shore for a rope to be thrown to them. The Swiftwater Rescue Team used a boat and sent two rescuers into the water. They were able to get the young child safely to the shore, but the current swept away the mother before they could get to her. The crews were able to maintain their visual contact with the woman. After assisting the child, they were able to get to the mother and pull her out of the water and onto the boat.
The mother was taken to the local hospital for her injuries. The young girl was treated and released to her father on the scene.
In a report from the Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services, the river was at a higher-than-normal flow due to hydropower generation at the Buford Dam.
In the statement, the department encourages everyone to be aware of water safety. “This incident serves as a good reminder that the National Park Service encourages everyone to wear Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) whenever near rivers.”
