19-year-old dies after being pulled from Meramec River at Castlewood State Park

By Joshua Robinson

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    ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — Rescue crews responded to Castlewood State Park Monday after a 19-year-old was found in the Meramec River.

The incident happened around 1:45 p.m. Officials say the man slipped and fell into the river and was underwater for at least 15 minutes.

Metro West Fire Protection District got him out of the water and transported him to the hospital, where he later died.

The incident is prompting authorities to warn the public about the dangers of the water. Signs are posted around Castlewood State Park warning against swimming in the Meramec, but many continue to get into the water.

“It’s very calm and inviting on the surface, especially on a warm day like today, but underneath is very treacherous, and there is a lot of conditions that even solid swimmers aren’t able to deal with and that’s where we see people get into trouble,” said Lt. Matt Coppin with Metro West Fire Protection District.

Coppin said the summer of 2021 was very rough in terms of drowning. Horace Grigsby, 15, drowned in June near Meramec Caverns, Allen Bergner, 17, drowned in the Meramec River near Sullivan, a 14-year-old and a man in his 30s drowned in Creve Coeur Lake and a 16-year-old drowned at Castlewood State Park.

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