Two Get Stuck in Altoona Dam
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Updated: 8:41 AM Jun 16, 2008
Two Get Stuck in Altoona Dam
A teenage girl and a woman get stuck in the Altoona Dam Sunday night.
Posted: 10:36 PM Jun 15, 2008
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A spokesperson for the Township Fire Department says the 17-year-old and 20-year-old were going to float down the Eau Claire River, starting down-river from the dam.

Firefighters say the current sucked the women back towards the dam, but they were able to make it to a hollowed out area in the dam until they were rescued, which was about an hour after rescuers got the call.

One woman has mild hypothermia and a few bumps and bruises.

Rescuers say they girls are lucky, since the situation could have had a worse ending.

"They're extremely lucky, not only does the current make a swirling effect and bring it back on the surface to the dam, but it will also go underneath and bring them back underwater. So they're really lucky they didn't come off those rafts,” says Township Battalion Chief Kerry Parker.

Firefighters say neither the teenager nor the woman were wearing life jackets.


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