This would be an interesting study in sociology as stories like this have been passed down from parents, probably since forever ago (Ryan grew up near the Wisconsin River and never stepped foot in it until he was 23 because of these stories). This river is no more or less dangerous than most other bodies of water. You will not fall through a sandbar. Most drownings and serious injuries are directly related to alcohol use. It is possible to get caught underneath a downed tree or find yourself in a little bit of ‘quicksand’ on the downstream side of a sand bar, but generally speaking, the river is not going to kill you. There is about 1 death in 300,000 river users. To put this in comparison, someone is 32x more likely to die in a vehicle over the same period of time.