ROCK FALLS – Law enforcement is reporting a man drowned Saturday evening at a Rock Falls campground.
According to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, on June 21st, 2014 at approximately 8:00 PM, deputies with the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Camp At The Woods in Rock Falls, IA for an unresponsive male who was in the river. When law enforcement arrived on the scene, the male was out of the Shell Rock River, and still unresponsive.
Mason City Fire Department transported Donald Lavern Bakken, age 79 of Mason City, to Mercy Medical Center North Iowa. No other information was released nor available.
Iowa DNR, Iowa State Patrol, Mason City Fire Department, Plymouth First Responders also assisted.
[poll random]
What is the truth? Various area news media are reporting this story as either a drowning or a person who is still alive but in critical condition.
So did law enforcement actually report a death by drowning or did media just assume??
The Globe is reporting that he was alive as of late last night. I don’t know if authorities were mistaken or NIT. The story should probably be updated.
The gentleman died at about 8 am on Tuesday morning.
Was he a regular camper over there? Maybe he slipped while looking at the river or had a medical problem.
Many cases of old men committing suicide by walking into lakes and rivers and drowning. When they decide to go, often they let nature sweep them away. May or may not be the case here but it does happen all the time.
Prove it
sucks is just planning his own demise, otherwise he is just full of crap.
That’s really interesting and romantic too. I want to go out in nature, not in an institution.
How sad. I know nothing about it, but at age 79 perhaps his cognitive skills are not up to par. Maybe he has Alzheimer’s or some other disease?? Or like most people, we take risks that sometimes can be deadly. Whatever the reason– I am sorry..
im sorry for the this guys family but what the hell was he thinking going any were near the water as high as it is.
Depth probably had little to do with it; flow rate is the more likely culprit. If people would view flooded rivers/streams/creeks as rip tides, fewer might venture into them.
Durrrr,
I go swim in flooded river, me be ok.