# Dad abandons drowning son to save wife.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-abandons-drowning-son-to-save-wife/519672>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 2, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-abandons-drowning-son-to-save-wife/519672 "2009-12-02T05:03:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-abandons-drowning-son-to-save-wife/519672/61 "2009-12-04T00:15:03Z")

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A friend and I had an interesting discussion yesterday about how Americans are so wrapped up in rediculous conspiracy theories.

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**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-abandons-drowning-son-to-save-wife/519672/62 "2009-12-04T00:22:05Z")

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> [@Renee](#):
>
> My thoughts, too. I’m very surprised that the rescue people coudn’t get him out of what couldn’t have been more than 10 feet of water.
> 
> Sad story.

In a pool, in midday, maybe. I’d have a little bit of difficulty but I’m not a particularly strong swimmer. But in murky water, or cold water, or water with a significant current, it would get a lot more difficult. The article says that the water was murky, and the Wikipedia article about the river says that the river has whitewater stretches, though I’ve got no idea how strong the current is at this point. The article does say that the car “skidded off a ten-meter cliff”, and in my experience, particularly steep banks are correlated with stronger currents.

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**Author:** ![dragoncat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6a8cbe/32.png) [@dragoncat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragoncat)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-abandons-drowning-son-to-save-wife/519672/63 "2009-12-06T00:21:44Z")

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A man I knew told me that when his wife was in labor with their first child, the nurses asked him, “If there’s a problem, who do you want us to save, the child or your wife?” His response: “My wife, of course! What a question!”

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-abandons-drowning-son-to-save-wife/519672/64 "2009-12-06T03:47:47Z")

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> [@Mangosteen](#):
>
> We’re to believe an over weight, out of shape, drunk Ted Kennedy is going to have the wherewithal to squeeze out of a car window after the car has suddenly flown off a bridge a crashed into the water below? He only had seconds to react. The concussion from the shock of hitting the water would knock a lot of people out. The passenger side of the car was smashed in badly yet Mary Jo’s body wasn’t injured. She was in the drivers seat holding on to the steering wheel.

Cite? :dubious:

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