Accident Database

Report ID#65293

2089-02-01
accident date
Matt Lane, Dan Triantafillou
victim
n/a
victim age
Selway
river
n/a
section
Between double drop and Ladle
location
12-21k cfs
gage
Medium
water level
IV+
river difficulty
Health Problem, Unknown
cause code(s)
n/a
injury type(s)
Failed Rescue, High Water, Poor Group / Scene Management, Solo Paddling
factors
Private
trip type
Raft
boat type
status?
status

Description

The group was paddling above lapoots after having scouted from double drop to Ladle the team decided to eddy above Ladle and scout again and have some people portage. the lead boat R2 minimax flipped in flat water on an Eddyline, they quickly recovered the boat but the second paddler was swimming slowly back to the boat. A kayaker pulled alongside towing him towards the eddy, the swimmer then let go of the kayak and was pulled back into the main current. He was thrown a rope from shore but couldn’t/didn’t grab it. The remaining R2 paddler quickly got to him and pulled him into the boat and caught the next eddy. The raft behind them paddled into the eddy jumped onshore and started CPR their boat flushed out of the eddy downstream. The boat behind them a Maravia CAT had a nurse on it. He grabbed his med kit and jumped on shore ditching his craft in the moving eddy as well. The gear boat oar rig behind him with one passenger pulled into the eddy and strapped the cat to his boat and grabbed the loose raft floating in the eddy as well. This cause him to float up in the eddy into a walled off rock section of the eddy. Someone on shore threw him a rope trying to pull him back down to where the group was performing CPR. The 3 boat situation was then pulled into the current and the guy holding the rope on shore was pulled into the water and let go of the rope. the gear boater now running downstream with two boats attached to him ditched the CAT into a large log strainer on the right. Instructed his passenger to hold the line running to the small raft and let go when he says so. As they rounded a corner a rope was thrown to the raft but was unable to be grabbed in time. They ran through lapoots in that configuration smoothly. The small boat being held by the passenger with a rope was ditched to the left as they tried to row to the right side eddy and “sneak” line. They were drug by the current instead to the center of the ledge hole which they hit off angle and immediately flipped downstream. Witnessed by kayakers from another group scouting from the trail. Both the gear boater and passenger swam from there with the passenger being brought to shore by a kayaker near little Niagara, the gear boater was found an additional mile downstream floating unconscious by the 3rd party kayakers. He was brought to shore where CPR was performed. The team camped that night awaiting an exfil plan other than paddling them out as the water continued to rise. The next day the victims were recovered by hoist with a private helicopter company two bear air. The team decided to cache all gear for lower water and hike out.