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Accident Database: Accident #399
| River: | Payette, S. Fk. |
| Section: | S. Fk. Canyon run |
| Location: | Little Falls |
| Water Level: | Medium |
| Difficulty: | IV |
| Accident Code(s): | L.S., Asthma? |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Inexperienced |
| Private/Commercial: | Commercial |
| Boat Type: | Raft |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Hazard Codes: | Water Temp |
| Detailed Description: | NEW HAMPSHIRE DOCTOR KILLED ON
IDAHO
'S
PAYETTE
RIVER
South Fork Canyon Garden Valley, ID
: July 15, 1995
DESCRIPTION: Dr. Peter Wittman, chief pathologist of the
Frisbee
Memorial
Hospital
, died from an asthma attack he suffered after being thrown from a raft on the
South
Fork
Canyon
of the
Payette
River
in
Idaho
. Whitman was rafting on a commercial trip when his raft overturned, dumping him, his wife, and five others into the rapids. The other members of the group swam for shore; the doctor was washed over Little Falls. Dr. Whitman, who suffered from Asthma, was not breathing when he was pulled from the water moments later and could not be revived.
SOURCE: Foster's Daily Democrat,
Dover, NH
; Rusty Bowman,
Twin Falls, ID.
|
| Conclusions: | ANALYSIS: Several whitewater deaths over the years have been linked to asthma, which makes breathing in cold water much more difficult. Those who suffer from this condition must take it into account when running rivers.
|
| Report Status: | Completed |
