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Accident Database: Accident #666
| River: | Cascade |
| Section: | 2 - Marble Creek Campground to Bridge nr. Skagit confluence |
| Location: | Bottom of first rapids and Bridge Wreck Rapids |
| Water Level: | Medium |
| Difficulty: | V |
| Accident Code(s): | Swim to Entrapment |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal |
| Age: | 35 |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Experienced |
| Private/Commercial: | Private |
| Boat Type: | Kayak - Unknown |
| Number of Occupants: | 1 |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Hazard Codes: | Man-made Debris Strainer |
| Initial Report: | On July 10th Mike Barker, 35, a strong Class V boater who had recently moved to Seattle from Tennessee, drowned on the Cascade River in Washington State.
This Class V run starts off fast. Barker became caught in a hole at the bottom of the first rapid and recirculated for a long time. Then, debilitated from his battle with the hole, was carried by a fast-moving wave train into Bridge Wreck Rapid. There he washed into a nasty collection of rusting I-beams, rebar at midstream and disappeared. This is the same spot that another paddler died last year. Clay Wright commented that it looks like there?s a safe run-out here when scouting from the top, but the river is much more continuous here than you expect. As the water level dropped over the next few days, rescuers could see Barker?s body. Eventually they were able to make the recovery |
| Report Status: | Completed |
