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Accident Database: Accident #830
| River: | Wenatchee |
| Section: | Tumwater Canyon |
| Difficulty: | V |
| Accident Code(s): | While Solo Boating |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal |
| Age: | 27 |
| Private/Commercial: | Private |
| Boat Type: | Raft |
| Summary: | A number of inexperienced paddlers met death over the Fourth of July weekend. On July 3rd, Jason Smith, 27, drowned in the Class V+ rapids of Tumwater Canyon on Washington’s Wenatchee River. Mr. Smith was paddling solo; his wife was watching from the road when he flipped in Chaos Rapid and disappeared. Rescuers found his body the next day, floating in a pool between the big drops. AW’s Brian Behle, who lives in nearby Leavenworth, says that this sort of thing happens every year. Indeed, there was a second drowning in the area during August! |
| Report Status: | Completed |
