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Accident Database: Accident #1154
| River: | Tallulah |
| Section: | 5 - Tallulah Gorge to Lake Tugaloo |
| Location: | Oceana Falls |
| Water Level: | Medium |
| Difficulty: | V |
| Accident Code(s): | Other Accidents |
| Injury Code(s): | Broken Leg, Broken Foot |
| Age: | 20 |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Experienced |
| Years Paddling: | >10 |
| Private/Commercial: | Private |
| Boat Type: | Kayak - Play Boat |
| Number of Occupants: | 1 |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Hazard Codes: | Rocks that cause blunt trauma |
| Detailed Description: | Harriet Taylor, a video boater on the New and Gauley Rivers, suffered serious injuries while running Oceana Falls in Georgias Tallulah Gorge in late October. Clay Wright, in a Rec.Boats.Paddle posting, reported that Taylor had successfully run North Carolinas Green River Gorge at 200% earlier in her Southern road trip. She arrived at the Tallulah on the last day of AWs scheduled releases. The run includes Oceana Falls, a huge sliding ledge where a number of paddlers get banged up each year.
Her small, low-volume playboat was badly bent, and the footpegs were severely deformed. Ms. Taylor suffered compound fractures and other severe injuries to both legs and feet. A first aid kit, donated to AW by Adventure Medical Kits and kept in place at the base of the falls during the releases, was put to good use. She was carried to the top of the falls where despite her injuries she got back into her boat and ferried to the other side of the river. She repeated this feat above two more drops that separated her from the put-in. State Park rangers saw the accident from an overlook and sent EMTs and additional boaters down the 500+ steps at the put-in to carry her up. They met the rescue party and made the difficult carry to the top of the gorge go smoothly. The evacuation took three hours, and would have lasted much longer without Ms. Taylors gutsy performance.
She was taken to a hospital in Athens, GA where she had four surgeries. She expects to spend two months in a wheelchair and four months on crutches. As of this printing she is back in school but still cannot walk unassisted. The dam release continued for an extra 30 minutes to allow those who helped in the rescue to paddle out. |
| Report Status: | Completed |
