Injury leads park officials to consider crowd limitations at Delaney

By: 
Becky Killian, Staff Writer

Emergency responders trying to transport an injured man from Delaney Creek Park were hampered by the large crowd attending the Independence Day fireworks display.

The man – who suffered a broken neck after diving into the lake’s shallow water – is recuperating, according to Park Manager John Burlington before he and the park’s board members talked about ways to limit the number of people at the park during holidays.

The discussion occurred during the Tuesday, July 17, meeting of the Washington County Parks & Recreation board meeting.

Burlington said more than 700 people were in the park at the time the man was injured. Those attending included first responders who assisted the injured man before he was airlifted to the hospital; however, responders had difficulty navigating through the crowd.

The fireworks display was temporarily halted while rescuers worked – which led some people to think the display had ended so they returned to their cars and began to exit the park, which resulted in heavy traffic.

Burlington said he may not have a band perform on evenings when a large crowd is expected – like on holidays. Instead, bands could be scheduled to perform on other days. He said the bands always are a hit among park visitors and it isn’t uncommon for them to perform until the early morning hours.

It would also be good for park employees to get first-aid training, Burlington said.

In another report, Burlington said a camper burned early this month. It was sparked by an electrical source and no one was injured.

The park has made a net profit of $76,987 as of the end of June.

The park board meets at 6:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month in the park’s pavilion. The meetings are open to the public.

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