A follow-up investigation by Park Service rangers reported that Chandler had started the run at Cunard with two other paddlers. Rangers found several guidebooks in Chandler's car. Another Rec.Boats.Paddle posting reported that he heard this from two of his friends: Chandler told them that he had run the river once before, at 3' (5800 cfs). They allowed him to join them. He swam in the warm-up rapids. The group then waited 20 minutes at the bottom of Railroad Rapids before he came through. He swam again at Ender Waves, and was last seen taking out in an eddy above Class IV Upper Keaney. The group waited for over an hour below Class IV+ Lower Keaney, assumed he was walking out on the railroad grade, and continued downstream. Walking out May have been Chandler's original intention, but apparently he re-entered the river later and continued alone.

The New is a poor choice for soloists at high water because of its width, turbulence, and difficulty. Mutual support can be life-saving. Deciding whether or not to let a stranger accompany your group on a river is never easy, but once you have agreed to take someone on you need to do one of two things; 1) keep track of them and help them if needed or 2) tell them to carry out for their own safety. For the sake of your peace of mind in the event of a mishap this must be communicated clearly. This May require a time-consuming up-river hike. If a person agrees to leave the river and then re-enters the water, they do so without expectation of assistance from others.

The New River Gorge below Cunard contains some of the biggest rapids in the East. On June 13, 1998 the river was running at 7 feet (14,000 cfs), a high level, creating huge waves in the Keeney Rapids where the accident occurred. Charles Chandler, 40, was a kayaker from Anniston, AL . He had driven to the river alone intending to run it. Several guidebooks covering the New River were later found in his car.

Chandler contacted two kayakers at the Cunard launch site and asked if he could join them. They said that Chandler took 20 minutes to run Upper Railroad, a straightforward Class III, then swam several times in easier rapids below. When asked if he had run the river before, he replied, “Yes, at three feet (5800 cfs).” He started to hang back as the group approached the Keeney’s, and was last seen paddling in the eddy at the top of Middle Keeney. The group stopped on shore for lunch and waited for over an hour for Chandler before continuing. They apparently thought that he had taken out.

A veteran guide from North American River Runners spotted Chandler ’s body as he was guiding his raft through the Keeney’s. “I first noticed something yellow floating in the water with something black beside it” he said. “I told the people in the boat that it kind of looked like it might be someone. We kept going, and as we got close I knew what it was.”

The guide was carrying six guests between the ages of 12 and 14. “I hauled him into the raft, laid him over the cross tubes, and checked the pulse on his neck. By the color in his face and his eyes, you could tell that he was not breathing.  He was dead when I pulled him into the boat.” Assisted by another guide and a rafting guest who was a nurse, they performed CPR for over 45 minutes. “We did everything in our hands that we could have possibly done to give him that one chance. Everything went very smoothly. In 45 minutes to an hour we had that man out of a very isolated river due to the communication on the radios back to North American and them communicating to the National Park Service.”

A medivac helicopter hovered over a large rock while Chandler was loaded on board. He failed to respond to CPR and never regained consciousness. He was flown to a hospital in Beckley where he was pronounced dead on arrival. 

SOURCE: Rick Brown, NPS, via the NPS  Morning Report; Beckley Register-Herald; Kyle Chavis and Dave Bassage posting to rec.boats.paddle.

ANALYSIS: (Walbridge)

1. Although the New at high water is not particularly difficult, it is a bad place to swim. The currents are very powerful and just getting to shore is an accomplishment. The runout of the Keeney Rapids is studded with boils and whirlpools that can pull a life-jacketed swimmer under water for some time.

2. There is safety in numbers, paddling alone is not the safest approach to the New River at any level. There is no one to help out if anything goes wrong. The presence of other paddlers could have been life saving in this instance.

3. Deciding whether or not to let a stranger accompany your group on a river is not easy, but if you have agreed to take someone into your group you need to: 1) keep track of them and help them if needed or 2) tell them they need to carry out for their own safety. For the sake of your peace of mind this must be communicated clearly, even if it requires a time-consuming up-river hike. If the person agrees to leave the river and later re-enters it, they do so without expectation of help. Communication within this group was not good, and this resulted in Chandler being left behind. In addition, boaters should make an effort to stay with their group, and not separate without telling someone beforehand.