Accident Database: Accident #498
| River: | Rio Grande |
| Section: | Pilar |
| Location: | Race Course |
| Water Level: | Medium |
| Difficulty: | III |
| Accident Code(s): | Equipment trap |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal |
| Age: | 20 |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Inexperienced |
| Private/Commercial: | Private |
| Boat Type: | Kayak - Unknown |
| Boat Model: | sit-On Top |
| Number of Occupants: | 1 |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Initial Report: | On June 8 there was an incident on the Pilar Run of the Rio Grande in New Mexico. A young man paddling a sit-on-top kayak flipped at Albert Falls and became tangled in a line. Outfitter Steve Harris of Far Flung Adventures reports that he was dragged over a mile through Herringbone and The Narrows before his partner could get to him. His partner, assisted by a commercial guide, began CPR. In a bizarre twist, the victim had apparently been denied access by a BLM ranger because he did not have a throw bag. He went to his car and returned with some rope stuffed in a mesh bag and was allowed to put on. It's not known if this was the same rope. |
| Detailed Description: | On SOURCE: Steve Harris, Far Flung Adventures
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| Conclusions: | ANALYSIS: (Walbridge) Loose lines pose a real danger to whitewater paddlers, and they should make every effort to see that all rope is tightly and snugly stowed.
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| Report Status: | Completed |