Reply to my question on the video about where the Jeep is now: "it's still in the river and they are supposedly trying to remove it, if the owner cant remove it the BLM will do it and charge the owner"
A row of canoes and kayaks, and all they do is say, "That's what y'all get"
Lots of faith in mankind there!
They could have taken a kayak and collected the junk floating out from the bed to prevent it from littering downstream.
It's in the comments that they got the guy to safety after the Jeep stopped moving. What are they realistically going to do while it's moving in a rushing river? Good way to get more people in trouble IMO.
If they go shooting down the river to try to catch up to the stuff, try to recover it in a rushing river (questionable in a kayak and not particularly easy in an inflatable raft) and then try to get to a bank to get out/offload it, they could end up miles away. I, for one, wouldn't fault them for not trying to get the junk given the head start the stuff had in that river going like that.
I usually equate kayas to above average boating skills. Not guaranteed, but usually. It would not be hard to grab the 3 or 4 big items and corral them to the bank. I would not have suggested a kayak trying to rescue the Jeep or the operator. That is a good way to volunteer your life for theirs. That being said, I have rescued numerous less than skilled boat and jet ski operators on Texas lakes and rivers. I just think it is the right thing to do when you can safely.
Sorry folks, but I do fault the boaters for standing there and doing nothing. My immediate inclination would have been to get a life jacket out to the guy. Maybe he couldn't swim. Who knows? Forget the flotsam in the river. So what if you end up a few hundred yards below your camp? It would not have been that hard to get back or have your friends bring your gear down to you. I've been boating the Colorado, Green, and Dolores for 40 years. If you see anyone in distress, you do your best to help them. It's that simple. We have had at least 10 river rescues in Moab in the last few weeks, including one yesterday. In almost every instance, lives were saved because other boaters stepped up to help. If you really want to ruin your trip, stand by and watch someone drown.
Here's a better example of human nature: No such thing as being Off-Duty . These guys had the subject on dry land by the time I arrived within 10 minutes after we were paged.