FOOT ENTRAPMENT CLAIMS WISCONSIN RAFTER

"Boy Scout Rapids"; Wolf River near White Lake, WI : July 31, 1993

DESCRIPTION: The Wolf River near White Lake, Wisconsin is a Class II-III stream popular among paddlers throughout the Upper Midwest . There is a thriving raft rental business here also, with hundreds of small 2-3 person inflatables floating the river each weekend of July 31, 1993. The river was running high due to summer rains.

David Dover, 25, was paddling a rental boat with a 40-person group from his church. His raft washed up on some rocks, and Dover fell out while trying to dislodge it. Suddenly his foot became caught on the bottom; members of his group and others struggled to keep his head above water without success. Eventually they lost their grip and Dover disappeared under water.

His life vest peeled off and was recovered downstream. The Wolf River Rescue Team responded; they performed CPR for 30 minutes without success. 

SOURCE: Todd Leigh, Douglas Jackson, and Bernie Rupp posting to rec.boats.paddle; George Steed; Antigo Daily Journal; Chicago Daily Herald

ANALYSIS: (Lehigh)

1) The group was apparently turned down by one outfitter and found another. Uniform standards might be useful to both outfitter and guest

2) No safety lecture was provided. Foot entrapments and are eminently preventable if guests are warned beforehand. The group apparently had no idea how to swim safely or where to go for help. 

3) No one in the group had enough knowledge to forgo the trip or to assist in rescue when the accident occurred. It is difficult to understand how people can fully assume the risks of an activity if they do not understand them.

4) River outfitters and customers have been treating the Wolf River like an amusement park ride for a long time, aided by low water levels. Recently water levels have been high, increasing the risk. Outfitters need to increase the level of education on their behalf or they will be shut down by lawsuits. As a private boater I hope that the increasing number of accidents do not prompt the authorities to shut the river down.