Deputies name man who drowned on James River

By Aimee Norton

Published: June 23, 2008

Updated 8:24 p.m.

The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office says 20-year-old Travis Campbell Farren from Montvale is the young man who drowned.

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Less than 24 hours after a young man drowned in the James River, we found people jumping off the same bridge, and not for the first time.

“A bunch…I lost count at about 10,“ said Cody Short.

“The water doesn’t look that far away from up there, but it’s a pretty far jump,“ added Shannon Hendricks.

As Hendricks and a friend got ready to make the plungek, a cousin of the man who drowned talked them out of it.

“The guy walked by and he was like “you know my cousin died over here yesterday,“ said Harlie Murphy. 

“I was just like, wow.  I mean I didn’t even know what to say. It’s just like, you never think it would happen,“ Hendricks said.

Police tell us it’s a popular place to jump, and it’s not against the law.  The bridge is 40-50 feet above the river.  The water is about 25 feet deep.  According to the Bedford County Sheriff’s Department, the victim was with a group of people.  He reportedly jumped several times.  The last time, his friends told police he came above the water, went back under, and then didn’t resurface.  An under water camera had to be brought in to find his body.

A warning from a grieving family member, convinced the people jumping on Monday that the thrill wasn’t worth the risk.

“I regretted it, a lot.  I kind of felt stupid after I did it.  I won’t be doing it again,“ said Chris Adams.

“It terrified me.  I climbed straight back over. Don’t plan on coming back again,“ Murphy said.

The Bedford County Sheriff’s Department tells us this is the first drowning they know of near the bridge.

The U.S. Forestry Department has not posted any signs warning aginst swimming or jumping from the bridge.

[Notes:SHANNON HENDRICKS]
After that, I was just like, there’s no way, I don’t want that to happen to me.  And I probably won’t be coming up here anymore.