Accident Database: Accident #790
| River: | Mill Creek |
| Section: | along Mill Creek Road into Frenchtown |
| Accident Code(s): | Pin: Undercut Trap |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal |
| Age: | 19 |
| Boat Type: | Kayak - Play Boat |
| Boat Manufacturer: | Riot |
| Boat Model: | Trickster |
| Number of Occupants: | 1 |
| Number in Group: | 2 |
| Initial Report: | http://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/171650 I aways hate to be the bearer of sad news, but I think it's important to keep reminding ourselves of how dangerous our sport really can be. Sorry if this has already been posted: UM freshman dies kayaking By MICK HOLIEN of the Missoulian A 19-year-old University of Montana freshman drowned Monday night while kayaking in Mill Creek east of Frenchtown. Ryan Michael Palmer was a native of Portland, Ore., majoring in business administration, according to the UM directory. He was kayaking on Mill Creek at about 6 p.m. when he was pinned against a rock, said Chief Scott Waldron of the Frenchtown Fire Department. The water in Mill Creek is running very strong and has become a popular haven for kayakers. "This is like little drop-offs and cascading pools,'' said Waldron. "Boy, it looks wild.'' A fellow kayaker worked to free Palmer and got him to shore where he started CPR, he said. When there was no response, he climbed about 100 feet up a steep rocky cliff and drove his pickup to summon help, he said. "His kayaking partner really did an incredible job to try and save this kid,'' said Waldron. When medics arrived, they climbed down to Palmer, were able to establish an airway and again began CPR before retrieving the victim and hoisting him up the rocks with a rope. The Frenchtown Fire Department's ambulance transported the victim to an area where he could be picked up by Life Flight, which took him to St. Patrick Hospital where he later was pronounced dead. http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_news/news11.txt -Coldswim |
| Summary: | Mill Creek is a very small, continuous, Class IV run located just outside Missoula, Montana. Ryan Palmer, 19, attempted the run on April 2gth with Cody Howard, his regular paddling partner. Howard provided these facts in a write-up posted to Boatertalk. The pair, paddling creek boats, made good time, stopping to portage several logjams. But when Palmer broke his paddle towards the end of the run, the pair decided to call it a day. But Palmer, using Howard's intact paddle, flipped in the next drop. He lost his grip on the paddle and missed several hand rolls. Howard positioned himself for an Eskimo rescue (T-rescue), but Palmer did not take advantage of it. Then Palmer pinned on a rock above an 8-foot drop. Howard landed, worked his way back upstream, and released the boat. Palmer fell out unconscious and washed onto a midstream boulder. Howard got out to Palmer and swam him ashore. There was no pulse or other sign of life. He attempted to perform CPR, but Palmer's jaw was clamped shut hard against his tongue. So Howard ran up to the road and notified authorities. Palmer was only under water for about four minutes total, and his partner made a good, aggressive rescue attempt. It's unclear why his jaw became so tightly clenched; anyone with ideas of what might have caused this is and how to deal with it is urged to write AW. There aren't too many times when bailing out is a good idea, but sometimes it's a reasonable alternative to floating upside down in a rocky river and getting beaten up. |
| Link: | http://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/171733 |
| Report Status: | Completed |