| River: | Potomac |
| Section: | Harpers Ferry - Dam #3 to Rt. 340 Bridge |
| Location: | ~100 yards downstream of Dam 34 river right-center |
| Gauge: | ~ 2.6 feet |
| Water Level: | Low |
| Difficulty: | II |
| Accident Code(s): | Tree Pin |
| Injury Code(s): | Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning, Near Drowning |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Experienced |
| Private/Commercial: | Private |
| Boat Type: | Kayak - Unknown |
| Number of Occupants: | 1 |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Initial Report: | Woman Rescued After Kayak Accident
The Herald-Mail online (4-16-06)
4-15-06 HARPERS FERRY, W.VA.A woman was airlifted to Washington Co., MD Hospital on Sat. (4-15) after the kayak she was piloting on the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry became entangled in tree limbs, pulling her underwater, according to a fire and rescue official who responded to the midafternoon rescue effort. The woman, whose name was not released, was listed as a Priority One trauma patient at the time she was airlifted to the hospital, Potomac Valley Assistant Fire Chief Eric Gray said. Gray said the woman was one of about 8 to 10 University of Maryland medical students who was taking kayaking lessons on the river. He said the kayak the woman was riding in became entangled and capsized in the swift water after tree limbs perforated the waterproof spray skirt that attaches to the boat's cockpit. Fire and rescue depts. from numerous jurisdictions in Washington and Frederick counties, as well as officers with Maryland State Police, the Dept. of Natural Resources and Jefferson County, W.Va. responded to the accident, which occurred about 12:50 p.m. about 100 yards below Dam No. 3 north of Harpers Ferry, Gray said. The woman was freed from the boat by her fellow kayakers and had been carried to a rock in the river prior to the arrival of rescue units, Gray said. "The other kayakers actually freed her and started CPR," Gray said. Several of those kayakers later were treated for hypothermia as a result of their efforts to free the woman, National Park Service park ranger Eric Sheetz said.
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=135941&format=html
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| Detailed Description: | This accident report is entirely from my vantage point (I wasn't in the best position to see or report all that occurred so hopefully others present will add in)
Our group a combination of paddlers from the Mason Dixon Canoe Club and the Monocacy Canoe Club had joined together to run a class 1-2 stretch of the Potomac near Harpers Ferry referred to as the Needles. We had planned to guide one novice paddler down along with stopping for some easy wave surfing and hole playing and then we were going to paddle past our normal takeout to view an outstanding heron rookery. The day was predicted to be near 80 degrees with some wind and moderate amount of sunshine. Water temps still made a dry top or semi dry feel good.
We put in at the Bakerton put in on the West Virginia side.
We noticed what appeared to be a class or recreation club at the put in. The participants with that group were in farmer johns and lifejackets, helmets and spray skirts. They did not have spray tops, drytops or fleece. They appeared to be practicing bow rescues. We didn't speak with them as they were putting in a bit downstream on the long bank there. It turns out they were from John Hopkins University.
Our group split into two groups to paddle over the broken down area called Dam 34. One section of our group made a flotilla to support our novice - the other part of our group went off for some warm up surfs....Many of those paddlers continued on downstream to what we call the lunch rock - eventually they went onto to the take out to get vehicles as they assumed there must have been some kind of a problem (it is a short run and getting vehicles was a logical manuever which helped out later in the day)
The rest of our group which included experienced paddlers Barb Brown, Ron Ray, Jim Norton, Dan E. and myself along with Sylvia and Tara (our newer paddlers) regrouped. Tara was feeling a bit nervous - so we rallied around her encouraging her....(she also felt badly because she was "taking up our time" - in fact it was Tara's nervousness that caused our group to be present when the accident occurred!)
Just as we began leading Tara across the ferry I noticed a boat and swimmer from the John Hopkins group. We got Tara too an eddy and I looked around and saw that they were at least 2 more paddlers in the water upstream of a log. I also noted 3 paddlers around a log which was protruding about 8 - 10 feet in the water from a rock island. One paddler was sitting on the log - there was nothing particularly alarming and the paddlers didn't seem to be signaling - but it just struck me as odd so I told Ron Ray that I was heading upstream to investigate.
Barb Brown was further upstream closer to the incident - she learned quickly that there was a paddler in their boat under the log. At this point I heard a whistle which confirmed to me that something was wrong but I was still about 75 yards downstream attaining up a shallow rocky stretch of flowing water. I started blowing my whistle. I heard Barb scream to hurry - so I started blowing my whistle in 3's and glanced behind me to see that Jim and Ron were following me.
I decided to ditch my boat and wade and scramble upstream - as soon as I was out of my boat - and still probably 40 yards away I heard someone yell for a knife. I relayed the message to Ron who I thought was carrying one. At this point it looked to me like someone was hung up on the downstream side of the log by there lifejacket -
In fact what had happened from what I can understand is that the victim - Dawn- had washed up on the log in her kayak - her head was evidently above water for a bit of time as she screamed for help....at some point she and her boat slipped under the log - Barb Brown reported only seeing a tiny portion of the boat when she arrived on the scene)....The JH group used incredible strength and pulled Dawn from her boat....at this point Dawn's sprayskirt caught in the root ball. When the JH trip leader arrived on the scene from upstream he cut her sprayskirt free with a knife.
By this time it was clear to me that there was a terrible emergency so I had signaled to some fishermen and cyclists on the shore to call 911. They later confirmed by hand signals that the call was place.
When Dawn's body came free the group immediately dragged her to her hips onto the rock -Barb Brown stripped off Dawn's helmet and PFD and a lifeguard who was paddling with the JH group began CPR. When I arrived on the rock I yelled at everyone to stop CPR for a moment and drag her further up on the rock where it was flatter. When Jim and Ron arrived the manpower was there to accomplish this. I am not sure how many cycles of CPR had been done to that point. After Dawn was up on a flatter spot about another 3 or 4 cycles were performed and Dawn had a pulse. Rescue breathing was continued for about another 60 - 90 seconds and then Dawn began to breath shallowly on her own. A couple guys turned Dawn on her side incase she vomited but she didn't. Barb reported later that breaths went easily - so it appears Dawn didn't take in any water.
We hadn't seen any rescue vehicles yet - so we began to discuss if the 911 call had actually gone through. It was determined that I was the best paddler best suited for making the ferry over to shore...so I took off to shore to confirm that the call had worked. This is a very difficult area for communication and jurisdiction. Maryland owns the river - the DNR responds to river emergency - there are two National Parks C&O canal National Park (in MD) Harpers Ferry National Park in West VA....plus at least 3 potential responding rescue squads from 2 differant MD counties and 1 West VA county.....
When I arrived at the West VA shore a fishermen placed another cell phone call with the updated info that I had (CPR had been administered - victim currently breathing but very shallowly - unconscious victim...shock and hypothermia quite possible - no obvious bleeding or broken bones.... Zodiac and/or helicopter needed).... I stayed on the West VA shore for a while. Brenda who is also a paddler was biking along the west va shore - when we learned MD was responding she took off down to Harpers Ferry on her bike to see if she could at least get a ranger vehicle up to the west va side with maybe some blankets and stuff that could be ferried out to the victim....
I started back to the island and was able to confirm that Dawn was still breathing - I think I relayed that a helicopter was coming but I'm not sure what I said because at that time I saw rescue vehciles arriving on teh MD side - so I paddled over there and ran up the towpath to give them a report....they had to transmit the info through a dispatcher to the MD State police helicopter which had arrived on the scene by then.
Somebody who was out on the rocks with Dawn will have to add in about the airlift and the Zodiac - but basically the Zodiac crew came down and had a bit a trouble with the log but managed to get around it. They packaged Dawn on a backboard and clipped her into the rescue basket which hoisted her up and away.....She was transported to Washington COunty hospital where we heard she was breathing and I think the DNR people said she was reported to be regaining consciousness but I'm not sure...
It was quite a mission collecting boats and equipment as the draft from the helicopter blew them all over the river. (If you ever know a helicopter is coming try to secure your boats and gear)
I also forgot to mention that Jim and Ron did a great job of getting both upstream swimmers out of the water. The Zodiac raft took most of the JH crew downstream where they were reunited with their vehicle and warm clothes... I don't know if all the kayaks and paddles were retrieved from the JH group but all the paddles were marked with JH - maybe the boats were too?
One thing I would have liked to have seen happen is to have had an "incident commander" from our kayak club - the jobs did all get done but I'm not sure that we covered our bases as best we could. I would have liked to have know the strength of the group for first aid etc before I left the rock but I didn't think to ask...I also would have liked to know that the upstream swimmers were going to be attended too...that all happened.....but still I felt awkward leaving the rock to go over to check on the 911 call knowing that I knew CPR and was one of the most experienced paddlers present (not that I am all that experienced)....
The knife was a Godsend as was 4 people with strong CPR knowlege...
Sheila Chapelle |
| Report Status: | On Going |
