Accident Database

Report ID#64965

2024-05-24
accident date
Two Unidentified Men
victim
n/a
victim age
North fork, Shenandoah River
river
n/a
section
Near Battle Blu Lane Bridge
location
n/a
gage
n/a
water level
N/A
river difficulty
PFD Not Worn or Present
cause code(s)
Other
injury type(s)
Inadequate Equipment, Inexperience
factors
Private
trip type
Other
boat type
status?
status

Description

On May 19, 2024, two males, ages 32 and 31, were kayaking on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in Rockingham County, VA. Later that day, a citizen driving on Brocks Gap Road noticed an overturned kayak trapped in the hydraulic current created by the low-water bridge at Battle Blu Lane and reported a possible boating accident. Family members later confirmed that the two men had been kayaking earlier that day. Security footage showed them paddling past the area at 3:55 PM, neither wearing life jackets or helmets. At 5:50 PM, emergency personnel found the body of the 32-year-old male caught against a tree downstream, and he was pronounced deceased at 6:00 PM. A second body, belonging to the 31- year-old male, was located by a drone 200 yards downstream at 6:20 PM. Both kayaks were eventually recovered, one the following morning due to darkness