Summary from FLOW RVA – A Sobering Saturday on the James — What Happened at Hollywood Rapid
Yesterday evening, a man lost his life in the James River near Belle Isle after being submerged in Hollywood Rapid. Richmond Fire Department received the call just after 5 p.m. The victim had already been underwater for 20+ minutes by the time first responders arrived. He was recovered, taken to the hospital, and pronounced dead. A woman who entered the water trying to help him was also rescued by bystanders.
What followed was a remarkable coordinated response. Two Richmond Fire boats arrived from Tredegar around 5:20 p.m., establishing upstream safety and sweeping the undercut features around Hollywood. Simultaneously, roughly 10 Richmond kayakers portaged Hollywood and spread out across the current — from Pinball to Bradshaw to the runout lines above Milk Pipe — methodically scouring every feature. One paddler swam Target Rock searching by feel. Another helped administer rescue breaths on the victim when he was found in the shoals.
This was whitewater paddlers and professional rescuers working side by side, all hands on deck, doing exactly what this community is capable of.
Please keep the victim’s family in your thoughts. And as we head into spring season with more people on the river: the James is always powerful, even when levels look low. Know the hazards before you get on the water.
From Rich Prado on FB – A good friend & his daughter were walking by Hollywood as this happened. Short version of what he told me
A lady seemed to be in some trouble in the water above Hollywood. A gentleman went in after her and may have saved her life by pushing her back to shore where other bystanders helped pull her out. But he obviously couldn’t swim. Was rolling around in the water in a way that folks on shore thought he was messing around. He got swept down river and doesn’t surface. The 1st kayaker on scene in red kayak with dreadlocks immediately started looking
This is roughly the point at which Rob Tompkins continues the account.
From Mark Campbell on FB -I was first on scene, from what I gathered from witness reports at first contact was the victim washed in to Hollywood rapid behind me when I was paddling through. I was solo so I never saw the victim.
The crowd of people that witnessed it from the shore flagged me down, I attained back up the rapid & ferried across to the shore to ask the witnesses why they if there was an emergency. They told me they had seen a man get swept in to the rapid behind me and he then disappeared.
I immediately started searching any rock faces, areas for pin/broach potential from both boat & shore positions.
Approximately 8-10 minutes in to my efforts the Richmond FD/SwiftwaterTeam arrived and we continued expanding efforts & exchange of information. Will price & other kayakers showed up nearly at the same time as the rescue crews.
We all worked incredibly together in the search & rescue. Endless gratitude to the fire department, their rapid response & how strong and skilled of a kayaking community exists here on the James River. It was a really sad and difficult evening. Praying for the victims family & all of those who responded to this incident.
From William Pike via James River HomoSapiens
Today, a group of Richmond Kayakers worked in conjunction with Richmond Fire and Rescue in response to a distress call involving an individual seen above Hollywood. The dispatch call was made to Richmond Fire at 17:09 from individuals on shore. At the same time, individuals on shore flagged down a Kayaker, who took initial report and began sweeping the current pools directly to the left and right of the Hollywood feature. 2 Richmond Fire Boats arrived from Tredegar around 17:20, establishing upstream safety, and Richmond Fire teams began sweeping the undercut features directly around the Rapid. At the same time, a group of 10ish Richmond Kayakers arrived and portaged Hollywood, and began assisting with sweeps further down the current, from Pinball, to Bradshaw, to all the runout race lines above milk pipe. At 18:00, Richmond Kayakers identified the individual, and prompt evacuation was preformed by the Richmond Fire Department swiftwater team.
The water level was 4.3, Temps high 80s/ Sunny. Thank you to the Richmond Fire Department, and the associated group of boaters for the practices exemplified during this circumstance.
Rob Tompkins on James River HomoSapiens
Here’s my account of the belle isle drowning…. So I’m doing a run the shuttle paddle downtown affair. I get to my kayak at 5p at reedy creek, running into Carter, Paul, and Shannon preparing to get on the lower. I ended up dautling with a telephone call in the lot for a little while, maybe 10-15 mins, and while doing that emergency vehicles pile into belle isle.
I huff it to catch up with the crew starting my strava at 5:36p in brandywine cut, and catch them at corner. We do a few stern squirts. Upon catching the eddy below corner, I notice something wrong with the crowd at entrance (stripper) and hollywood. I huff it down to check, and fire says there’s a missing person.
I paddle through hollywood and there are the motorized fire rafts pulled up on target rock, everyone is looking. I ask what happened. They said someone fell in….I go to get more information, attain up, ferry across hollywood. Get out, and ask witnesses what happened. I was told: “A man fell in (was swimming unclear) above entrance, but swam through it. He proceeded to wave several times then become submerged entering hollywood. He then, in the main rapid, vanished.”
I look at the rapid to see if there are any abnormailities in it that I could tell. Then I jumped in swimming the rapid over to target rock trying to see if I could feel anyth ing. All the while, a group of paddlers are scouring the shoals downstream (around boof rock). I search in the pillow of water on the front of target rock and find nothing.
The paddlers find the patient in the shoals. I rock skip/swim over to them, CPR is being administered by Richmond search and rescue. I help perform rescue breaths on the patient, male 30-45 approximately in age. We get the patient onto the motorized raft, and have to dislodge the raft a few times to get them going off to Tredgar. I figure he was underwater in 45 degree water for upwards of 40 minutes if not more, unclear.
It was a remarkably well cooporated effort from both Richmond search and rescue as well as the paddlers involved. Everyone was all hands on deck. I admire everyone’s humanity in moments like this as it truly focuses people under a common cause regardless of background.