I guess there are just some accidents that can’t be avoided. Or can they?
Never having been to this illegal swimming hole I can’t speak for the warning signs and other efforts by the city to keep people away from a dangerous spot in the Bronx River. But kids are kids. Signs mean nothing and adults should know it. If there’s a way over or under a fence to get to some fun, a kid will find it. You can count on that.
What the City didn’t count on was the drowning of two teens in the Bronx River on Sunday after, as The New York Daily News reports, ”years of broken bones and near misses at the popular summer retreat.”
One kid told the News, “We jump off the rocks all the time, but people do get hurt. ”A girl broke her arm here recently.”
Emergency responders say they’re frequently called to the spot near the Bronx Zoo to rescue injured swimmers.
I wonder what the city would do if this was happening in Central Park, in the reservoir, right off Fifth Ave. vs. the Bronx, near the Zoo? Perhaps, this is a question that should be put to a top personal injury lawyer in New York.
According to the News, signs warn swimmers to stay away from the fenced-off swimming hole above a waterfall. One 16 year old neighbor told the News, ”They should put barbed wire so this doesn’t happen again.” You’re absolutely right, kid.
Another 13 year old said kids know they’re not allowed to swim there but don’t think about the consequences. “Sometimes the parks people come and kick us out, but never the real cops,” he said.
The city Parks Department did not say whether changes would be made to secure the area. But sources said the department increased fencing at the park in recent years to deter swimmers and has been vigilant about posting “No Swimming” signs.
Yeah, no swimming signs. It’s been in the high 90s for weeks. Does the city really think that signs are going to keep kids out of the water?
R