Meramec River Incident - Barrier Analysis and Sovereign Immunity

On July 9, 2006, an intercity youth group servicing disadvantage youths sponsored an outing at Castlewood State Park near St. Louis, Missouri. It was a typical outing where there was picnicking, volleyball, and swimming at the sandy beach on the Meramec River. Six intercity youth on an outing were wading in the beach area. The current slowly moved them downstream or maybe they were simply exploring the river further downstream. One by one they slipped over the drop-off. The river depth increases suddenly from two and one-half feet to ten feet. Non-swimmers, they panicked. Five drowned and one was resuscitated. The Meramec River is a designated swimming area in the park. Because of budgetary issues within the state, no lifeguards were provided. The beach is unsupervised. If it weren’t for the downstream hazard, it would be an ideal location to cool off on a hot summer July day and to have fun in the river. The river is three to four feet deep and moves a mild one to two miles an hour. This case study provides an actual scenario for students to study. Issues in the video include: sovereign immunity, and accident reduction with barrier analysis. The incident is viewed from the perspective of the park. Barrier analysis includes a primer on barrier analysis and a table to assess alternatives. Alternatives examined include modifying the drop-off site, no swimming buoys between the drop-off and swimming area, life jackets, interpretive signs, and space and time barriers. If desired, the case study can be used alone without a discussion of barrier analysis or sovereign immunity. Simply stop the video after the segment describing the incident. Keywords: Castlewood State Park, accident prevention, barrier analysis, Meramec River, sovereign immunity, safety