YACOLT, Wash. — A relaxing Sunday on the east fork of the Lewis River took a dangerous turn for a Vancouver family.
Robert Brown jumped into the rocky Lucia Falls to rescue his son Michael after he slipped on a rock and fell in.
Robert was left bruised and beaten, but more importantly, he and his son are alive. Robert was released from the hospital late Wednesday afternoon and is settling in at home with his family. Looking back on it, he said he'd do it all over again.
The shallow pool above Lucia Falls looks calm, until one little slip can send you toppling down rapids.
“It seemed really fast, like it was five to ten seconds long - the whole thing,” Michael said. “When I was going down I was trying to grab onto some rocks but couldn't because they were covered in moss and algae and stuff.”
“As he started to come near me it’s like, I should be able to reach out and grab him but he kept getting further away,” Robert told KGW.
In a split second, Robert said he realized he had to jump in to rescue his son right before the waterfall.
“Once he went underwater, I don't think there was any question. I had to go in and get him. I had to do whatever I could to go in and save him,” Robert said.
There was no question because of his love for his son.
But Robert couldn't reach Michael and they both went toppling over the rocky falls. Robert dove in and tumbled head first.
His wife Amy was holding their infant and held her breath as she watched from a ledge above the water. She said she went into an “emergency calm state."
Michael was able to swim to shore with just a bruised elbow and headache. His parents feel it’s a miracle he got out unscathed. Robert struggled to get out of the water, as blood dripped down his face from deep gashes.
“He’s trying to crawl out of the lower pool but he’s just not moving, he’s not crawling out.. He’s still halfway in the water… and his head is hanging down and I turned to someone and said, ‘He’s not OK’ and they said, ‘No, he’s not,'” Amy told KGW.
People ran to the lower pool to help him out, yelling for someone to call 911. Amy was able to get through and said paramedics were there in just 15 minutes. They rushed him to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.
In the trauma unit, Robert said doctors told him he fractured his neck and damaged ligaments. He also tore his carotid artery and had to get 36 stitches on his face.
“It’s the grace of God that I’m here because they found a fracture at C7 [vertebra], there’s some ligament damage to my neck. There’s also a tear in my carotid artery. So, I'm that close from being unconscious underwater, from death, you know, and who knows what could have happened to him as well,” Robert said.
"I cannot believe he was not knocked out with that force. Had he been knocked out, he would not have made it up out of the water. And had that artery cut all the way through, he would have not have made it out. Or if he had broke his neck any further, he would have been paralyzed and not been able to get out of that water,” Amy said. “It’s an absolute miracle he made it out and looks so handsome today.”
Robert will have scars on his face, forever showing the power of a father's love for his son.
“He didn’t even think twice, he just went in and saved our son - head-first over a waterfall. So I will look at those scars proudly knowing that I married the most amazing man,” Amy said.
And Michael will forever be grateful to his father for his selfless act of heroism and bravery.
“Just to know he's my hero and he jumped after me,” Michael said. “It shows how much he loves me.”
The Browns learned another lesson that day, one they want everyone to hear: we aren't invincible. Be careful hiking and playing around water.
“Water is just a powerful force. And you can’t play around with it. Even when you think it’s safe and you’re in a cautious area, you may not be,” Robert said.
The family set up a GoFundMe to help pay for medical bills they're racking up.