Diver finds GoPro containing footage of man's final moments before drowning
A diver found a GoPro containing harrowing footage of a man’s final moments before he drowned.
YouTuber Rich Aloha was looking for treasure at the bottom of a lake in Tennessee when he discovered the lost device.
Two years before, in 2017, Richard Ragland had tragically drowned under a waterfall at Foster Falls State Park.
The man had been swimming just a few days before his 23rd birthday when he filmed the happy memories splashing about with his mates.
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Ragland went swimming underneath the waterfall but never resurfaced. While he had reportedly been a strong and confident swimmer, the force of a waterfall can throw off even the best and drag them into danger.
His family were left wondering what had happened to him and park rangers had sent his parents what was supposed to be a drive with footage of him.
Except, when they opened up the parcel they found that the contents had been stolen.
Aloha had been told by the park rangers about Ragland’s tragic death.
So, when the treasure hunter opened up the camera and found the SD card, he was amazed to see it was still working.
He refers to what happened as an ‘out of body experience’ as he was in disbelief.
“I was going through the footage and I said, ‘Oh my God, this is the guy,’” Aloha recalled.
Taking to the internet to search for Ragland’s family, he eventually found a number.
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"He actually found Richard's GoPro camera," the man's parents, Robin and Gary McCrear, told WSB-TV.
Aloha said he was ‘glad’ he’d been the one who found the device.
“Because I try to do the right thing and get the item back to the rightful owner,” he added.
The McCrears said at the time that they hadn't seen all the footage on the card, but what they had seen showed their son enjoying himself.
"What we've seen so far is Rich being Rich, living life to the fullest," Robin said.
This unearthed footage gave the parents some reassurance as they finally received some answer as to just what had happened to the young man.
The mother added of Aloha: "For him to go through his efforts to do his research, make numerous phone calls, he didn't give up until he got in touch with us and that means the world to us."
And the YouTuber also said: “They were just stunned, they were just staring at the GoPro in disbelief.
“Words can't describe how it feels. ... I don't think there's been a more impactful find."
Jess Battison