Student Drowns After Raft Turns Over in River

A Fullerton College student who was pulled from the rain-swollen Santa Ana River died in a hospital hours later, authorities said Saturday.

Bonnie Davis, 20, of Anaheim was pronounced dead at UC Irvine Medical Center at about 11:25 p.m. Friday, officials said. The cause of death was drowning.

Davis was with her brother, Gary Davis, 21, and Todd Benkert, 20, both of Anaheim, when they apparently decided to navigate the river on a whim, stopping at a local store to buy a raft, friends said.

The trio are believed to have put the craft in the water unaware that the river contains spillways--designed to keep debris from flowing down the river--that create dangerous currents, Anaheim fire officials said. All three were thrown from an inflatable raft. The men were able to swim to the riverbank.

Danny Cummings, 20, a roommate of the two survivors, said he was supposed to go with them Friday, but had a date. He said the group never thought there would be danger. It looked like “kind of a fun thing to do.”

After spotting the yellow raft, Anaheim Police Officer John Winovich lowered his helicopter and Officer William Cowhey walked out onto one of the skids and grabbed the unconscious Davis, who was tangled in rope attached to the raft.