PROVO, Utah — Seven years have passed since Troy Thayne’s son Sean jumped into the Provo River, trying to save a young girl and her mother.
“If you can imagine your son being thrashed about for three miles before being pulled out of the water,” said Thayne. “He did not quit till there was nothing left. He was incredibly brave.”
Since then, Thayne has relived the trauma of the day countless times, imagining every scenario that could have kept Sean alive.
“The Coast Guard, they have a model; it's ‘Reach, ‘Row,’ ‘Throw,’ ‘Don't go,’” he said. “And in whitewater especially, you don't.”
Many Utah county residents who frequent Bridal Veil Falls, like Roger Pate, understand the water’s danger this time of year.
“Kids are just having fun but you know, we have tragedies every year where people don't watch their kids close enough, so I think it's best just to stay away,” he said.
For the last few years, Thayne has been working on a documentary to honor his son’s bravery and give peace to surviving family members, like himself.
“I couldn't sleep at night,” he said. “I kept thinking, ‘What if I would have not said, ‘Look this way’?What if we would have been five minutes later? What if, what if, what if? And so, I want the documentary to let people know that they're not to blame, because in reality, we have no control over destiny. It will, like a river, just runs its course.”
