Two Drownings in 10 Days at South Oregon Coast's Lobster Creek, Near Gold Beach

Published 7/16/24 at 8:55 p.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Gold Beach, Oregon) – Two people have drowned at the south Oregon coast's Lobster Creek area, taking place in two separate incidents ten days from each other. The Curry County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) said both were men in their early 40s, visiting from elsewhere. In one case, the man's friends witnessed the drowning at the Rogue River spot, which is nine miles east of Gold Beach. (Photo CCSO)

The first incident took place on July 4 as the sheriff's office began receiving 911 calls about 3:30 p.m. Deputies responded by boat and vehicle to the location. Also dispatched were Cal Ore Life Flight, Gold Beach Fire and northern California's Reach Air, which arrived by helicopter.

“Sergeant Gray arrived in the marine boat and several first responders got on the boat and they started the search for the person who was being reported as drowned,” said Curry County Sheriff's Office.

The deceased was later identified as 42-year-old Rohithumar Godhani from Milipitas, Ca.

“Godhani was in the area recreating with his family when he entered the water for unknown reasons,” CCSO said. “The searchers in the boat located Godhani in six feet of water about a hundred yards down river from where he had gone in. Godhani had been submerged for almost an hour from the time he went under water to when he was located. CPR was started by medics and first responders on scene.”

Ghodani could not be revived and was pronounced dead on the scene, even after Reach Air medics arrived and attempted lifesaving efforts.

The second incident in the popular south Oregon coast recreation area happened on July 14 at 1:33 p.m. Around that time, CCSO said it was hearing Oregon State Police radio traffic of a drowning at Lobster Creek's gravel bar area.

Along with deputies, Cal Ore Life Flight and the Gold Beach Fire Department were also called to the scene. There, they discovered a man had gone under the water as his friends witnessed the incident from shore. Less than two minutes after going under, a marine boat from Linn County Sheriff's arrived, which was training in the area.

The man was soon ID'd as 41-year-old Adam Birdsell from Medford.

“Without prior knowledge of a drowning and being flagged down and told about the drowning by witnesses, they began searching for Birdsell,” CCSO said. “The two marine deputies quickly located Birdsell submerged in about six feet of water. One of the deputies dove in and pulled Birdsell out of the water and onto their boat. Several other marine deputies and boats arrived to assist.”

Deputies immediately began CPR efforts and quickly transported him to the shoreline, where Cal Ore Life Flight continued to try and revive him. Birdsell was soon transported to Curry General Hospital where he was pronounced deceased by medical staff.

“Birdsell was on vacation with his family and friends, who witnessed the drowning,” CCSO said. “The Curry County District Attorney was notified and authorized release of Birdsell to Redwood Memorial Services out of Brookings.”

CCSO sent out its condolences to the family and friends of both men.

Lobster Creek Campground is part of the US Forest Service's water recreation areas. White it does have water safety signage of its own, Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) notes that most places around the state are not supervised.

“Wearing a life jacket, and making sure it fits properly, saves lives. Remember: many of our lakes, rivers, and reservoirs are filled by snow runoff and remain cold year round,” OPRD said. “And even water that look calm could have swift currents and hidden obstructions beneath the surface.”

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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