Accident Database: Accident #777
| River: | Tellico |
| Section: | 1. Trout Hatchery to Bridge above Bald River |
| Gauge: | 2000 cfs |
| Water Level: | High |
| Difficulty: | II |
| Accident Code(s): | Tree Pin |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal |
| Age: | 42 |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Experienced |
| Private/Commercial: | Private |
| Boat Type: | Kayak - Unknown |
| Number of Occupants: | 1 |
| Number in Group: | 4 |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Hazard Codes: | Natural Strainer or Sieve |
| Summary: | On May 4, a group of paddlers arrived at the Tellico River in East Tennessee. It was running at 2000 cfs, too much for an easy run on the middle section. So the group headed upstream to try a Class I-II headwaters section above the North River confluence. Ed Mohn, 57, was making his first run since a rib injury the previous fall. Frank Bargatze, another member of the group, describes what happened next: "We approached an island that offered a passage to river right and left.. .I worked my way down river left.. ..and eddied out behind a rock where I waited for the others to appear ... I saw Ed bounce over a small, submerged rock, then drop into a sieve formed by the rock and a fallen tree. Ed broached against the tree.. . (he had) a look of panic and was frantically trying to extricate himself.. .I could see Ed struggling to extricate his boat. The boat popped free and floated downstream ... I could see Ed's blue paddle jacket submerged under water. ..I exited my boat and climbed onto the rock ... I jumped on top of Ed and tried with all my strength to pull him out of his entrapment. Barnett Williams reached the rock as I jumped. I swam into an eddy and climbed onto the fallen tree. Barnett and I tried to secure a rope so we could get to Ed.. . (but) the current was strong and the position of the tree made it impossible .... we both jumped to Ed and pulled without success." "By now Ed had been in under the water for 15 minutes. We stopped and said a short prayer on the rock. Ed's body had shifted from all the pulling.. .. I swam to shore where people were waiting to help. Barnett stayed on the rock and eventually got a rope around Ed's life vest. He threw the rope to us and we pulled. There was a snap of a branch and Ed's body floated free just as a rescue squad arrived ... CPR was administered." Unfortunately, despite their efforts, Ed Mohn was dead. |
| Link: | http://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/173328 |
| Report Status: | Completed |