Costa Rica Water Rafting Tragedy
Donation protected
What was meant to be a weekend to remember for 14 friends turned into a living nightmare. We decided to celebrate Luis Beltran’s bachelor party in Costa Rica on the weekend of October 18, 2018.
We’ve all been friends for many years and we knew we wanted to do something special for our friend before his wedding. We planned a few activities, one of them being a white water rafting tour on the Saturday of our trip.
When we first arrived, it was windy and raining, and the professional tour guides advised that we wait a bit before going out on the water. Less than an hour later, we got the okay to head out, and the 14 of us separated onto 3 different rafts. Within five minutes of being out on the river, all three rafts capsized, and everyone ended up in the water.
Everyone struggled to get back on the rafts, with some efforts being successful, but ultimately the rafts continued to capsize due to the immense current. Within minutes, all of us were careening down the river with life jackets and helmets just trying to stabilize and find something to hold on to.
Throughout the dangerous ride down the river, all of us struggled to stay above water, swallowing lots of it on the way down as our bodies ricocheted against the rocks in the water while struggling to survive. Most of us were ultimately able to grab hold of rocks or barriers in or around the water and await the rescue teams to get to us. Unfortunately, not all of us were so lucky. Four of our dear friends drowned in those waters.
Luis, the man we hoped to celebrate all weekend, lost a brother and we all lost four great friends during this vacation which went horribly wrong.
This GoFundMe has been created to help raise money for the families of our friends Ernesto Sierra, Andres Denis, Jorge Caso, and Sergio Lorenzo (including his children) with their devastating losses.
We are aiming to alleviate costs for funeral and memorial expenses. They all had so much life left to live as sons, brothers, fathers, cousins, and friends before this devastating tragedy occurred.
Please note, all donations that surpass the set goal will be allocated to the children of Sergio Lorenzo.
Any donations are sincerely appreciated.
God bless.
We’ve all been friends for many years and we knew we wanted to do something special for our friend before his wedding. We planned a few activities, one of them being a white water rafting tour on the Saturday of our trip.
When we first arrived, it was windy and raining, and the professional tour guides advised that we wait a bit before going out on the water. Less than an hour later, we got the okay to head out, and the 14 of us separated onto 3 different rafts. Within five minutes of being out on the river, all three rafts capsized, and everyone ended up in the water.
Everyone struggled to get back on the rafts, with some efforts being successful, but ultimately the rafts continued to capsize due to the immense current. Within minutes, all of us were careening down the river with life jackets and helmets just trying to stabilize and find something to hold on to.
Throughout the dangerous ride down the river, all of us struggled to stay above water, swallowing lots of it on the way down as our bodies ricocheted against the rocks in the water while struggling to survive. Most of us were ultimately able to grab hold of rocks or barriers in or around the water and await the rescue teams to get to us. Unfortunately, not all of us were so lucky. Four of our dear friends drowned in those waters.
Luis, the man we hoped to celebrate all weekend, lost a brother and we all lost four great friends during this vacation which went horribly wrong.
This GoFundMe has been created to help raise money for the families of our friends Ernesto Sierra, Andres Denis, Jorge Caso, and Sergio Lorenzo (including his children) with their devastating losses.
We are aiming to alleviate costs for funeral and memorial expenses. They all had so much life left to live as sons, brothers, fathers, cousins, and friends before this devastating tragedy occurred.
Please note, all donations that surpass the set goal will be allocated to the children of Sergio Lorenzo.
Any donations are sincerely appreciated.
God bless.
Organizer
Anthony Castro
Organizer
Miami, FL