[ccwalbridge]

DRAFT: Fatal Whitewater Accidents
Reported to American Whitewater
July - Dec 2009
If we've missed any,
please send information
to [email protected]

Date State Victim Age boat River/Section/Place/Rapid diff cause
10-22 OK Bobby Ray Bohn 46 Kayak Mountain Fork R Presbyterian Falls II Bad Hydraulic
10-16 MO James Catt 68 Canoe Jacks Fork Below Alley Springs I Heart Attack
10-02 WV Shane Loveall 30 C-raft Upper Gauley R Lost Paddle Rapid V Underwater Pin
09-28 WV Eric Hampton 32 C-raft Upper Gauley R Pillow Rock Rapid V Health Problem
09-12 WV Eric Clark 40 C-raft Upper Gauley R Insignificant Rapid V Health Problem
08-23 NY Hin Hon Siu 36 R-raft Delaware R Staircase Rapid II No PFD
08-17 UT Heath Park 28 Tube Weber River Hennifer to Taggarts ?? PFD Fell Off
08-09 MT Gary Markovich 55 Kayak Clark Fork R Alberton Gorge IV Head Injury
08-09 WA Ryan Morgan 31 Kayak Little White Salmon R V Strainer
08-03 WV Michael Jennings 29 Tube Bluestone R Below Eads Mill III ??
08-02 ME Shannon Phillips 51 IK Little Ossipee R Balch Pond to Saco R. ?? No PFD, Hydraulic
08-01 MA Shanara Henry 18 Tube Deerfield R Below Zoar Picnic Area III No PFD; Hi Water
07-29 CO Carol Jacobson 54 Raft Green R Lodore Canyon;Triplet Falls III Flush Drowning
07-25 ID Sharon Barclay 47 Raft N. Fork Payette R Smiths Fy to Banks V Strainer
07-28 ID Michael Ashe 57 Tube S. Fork Payette R Belw Deadwood R III Strainer
07-23 VA Jacqueline Mason 21 Canoe Blackwater R above Rt 220 X Dam Hydraulic
07-18 CO Derk Slottow 21 Kayak Big South Fork, Cache La Poudre V Entrapment
07-15 UT Susan Dennis 61 Tube Provo R Below Deer Creek Res. ?? Health Problem
07-09 CO David Campbell 49 C-raft Arkansas R Brown's Canyon;Pinball III Health Problem
07-07 CO Jimmy Nakama, & Thomas Spicknall 40+ Raft Arkansas R Numbers IV Flush-Drowning
07-04 UT Timothy Rau 19 Raft Colorado R Westwater Canyon IV Flush-Drowning
07-02 IL Jennifer Wehling 36 R-raft Vermilion R Near Oglesby, IL X Dam Hydraulic
07-01 WY Craig McCuistion 50 Raft Snake R Alpine Canyon IV Bad Hydraulic

 

[raftus]

I would like to say two things:

First, Charlie, a big thank you for you work over the years in compiling all of this information.

Second, rest in peace to all of our brothers and sisters who have lost their lives. I personally miss Derk greatly.

 

[Cutch]

http://www.mountainbuzz.com/forums/f11/encampment-river-drowning-accident-report-25635.html

Looks like you are missing information on Brian Stothart, who was lost on the Encampment River this year. The link above should have a bunch of info for starters.

The 7/7 Jimmy Nakama and Thomas incident reports the accident on Browns canyon, but I believe all of the problems actually started in Pine Creek rapid. Probably more accurate to list it as a Pine Creek section of the Ark incident as opposed to Browns given the obvious class difference at higher flows.

Another thanks for putting the report together again. Reports like this are needed to create safer whitewater recreation.

I for one hope that the Derk report will be more detailed so that we can understand what truly went wrong there. Accident reports that are left incomplete on AW, such as the Dan Crain incident, lead to a general fear about sections of river, whitewater and rapids, and does little to educate fellow boaters about what actually happened, and what can be learned.

 

[gh]

Bad memories on this thread but I know it needs to be done. Was thinking about Derk over the holidays and thinking of the people that I lost out of my life this past year. Miss ya buddy.

 

[cadster]

The initial post is confusing since the topic line starts in June, but the list begins with July.

You can see the reports for the entire year hear:
American Whitewater - Accidents - Search Results

You can add a report here:
American Whitewater - ReportAccident==

 

[craporadon]

What about the Cimarron Falls fatality where the guy ran it with his girlfriend watching and could not swim out of the room?

The guy on the Weber River in Utah actually died from tying himself to his tube and the tube went one way around a boulder and he went the other way and was trapped underwater. He had a pfd so that was not the problem.

There was also a rafter on the Murtaugh section of the Snake River.

 

[Randaddy]

Friends of Carol Jacobson (Lodore fatality in Triplet) have told me that she suffered head trauma.