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Accident Database: Accident #1116
| River: | Gauley |
| Section: | 7 (Upper). Summersville Dam to Mason Branch |
| Location: | 2nd drop of Lost Paddle |
| Water Level: | Medium |
| Difficulty: | V |
| Accident Code(s): | Bad Hydraulic |
| Injury Code(s): | Near Drowning |
| Boat Type: | Kayak - Other |
| Number of Occupants: | 1 |
| Hazard Codes: | Hydraulic/Keeper Hole |
| Detailed Description: | A NEAR DROWNING ON THE
UPPER GAULEY
The victim was a kayaker who was tagging along with a group of squirt boaters from
Philadelphia
. On October 16, 1994, trouble struck at the second drop of Lost Paddle. The victim flipped and bailed out. He probably recirculated in a hole in the third drop before being pulled out just above drop #4 –Tumblehome. There was no breathing or pulse, so his companions started CPR. He came to in minutes, talking lucidly, very anoxic, complaining of back pain. A raft company arrived and called a helicopter, which evacuated the victim to a local hospital. He stayed there for almost a week before being released.
SOURCE: Tom O’Neill
|
| Conclusions: | EDITOR’S NOTE: Pulling an unconscious person to shore in a squirt boat must have been a tough rescue! Congratulations!
|
| Report Status: | Completed |
