Accident Database

Report ID# 713

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  • PFD Not Worn or Present
  • Does not Apply
  • Inexperience
  • One Boat Trip

Accident Description

The Delaware River is a popular Class I-II run located along the eastern Pennsylvania border. The National Park Service morning report reported two canoeing accidents here this past June. On June 21st two men rented a canoe in Barryville, NY to repeat a trip they had made together for the past 18 years. At Shohola Rapid (Class II) they hit a rock and flipped. The men could stand here, so one man wrestled with the canoe while the other man, 70, headed for shore. The man holding the canoe was swept downstream, so he let go of the boat and swam for shore. He didn't see what happened to his friend; when he couldn't find him he hiked out 45 minutes to a phone and called 911. Park Service personnel arrived and soon retrieved the boat and the body of his friend. The survivor was wearing his life vest; the victim's PFD was found tied to the boat. CW

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