| River: | St. John |
| Section: | American Realty Road 71.8 mi to Allagash, 28 mi to Fort Kent |
| Location: | Big Black Rapids |
| Difficulty: | III |
| Accident Code(s): | No PFD |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal |
| Age: | 58 |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Inexperienced |
| Private/Commercial: | Private |
| Boat Type: | Open Canoe |
| Number of Occupants: | 2 |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Summary: | In a tragic scenario Robert Godfrey’s canoe broached on a rock and capsized in Big Black Rapids, a long big water Class III on a river forming the boundary between Maine and Canada. A story in Foster’sOnline, a newsline covering Northern Maine, stated that the 58 year-old was not wearing a life vest and didn’t even know how to swim. He slipped underwater after a brief struggle. His daughter, who was wearing a PFD, swam ashore safely. |
| Link: | http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2005/06/14/limestone_man_drowns_after_canoe_overturns_in_st_john_river/ |
| Report Status: | Completed |
