Man drowns paddleboarding near Oakridge
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A 26-year-old man drowned in the Middle Fork Willamette River on Saturday, July 18, near the Black Canyon Campground, about 9 miles west of Oakridge.
Lane County Sheriff’s Office deputies identified the man as Justin Daniel Brudvig of Oregon City.
Brudvig was not breathing when deputies and Oakridge Fire & EMS first responders arrived at the scene, where bystanders were giving him CPR.
He had been paddleboarding on the river without a life jacket, according to the investigation. Last week, another man died while paddleboarding in the Willamette River near Clearwater Park and Landing, south of Springfield.
Rescue crews frequently respond to people in urgent need on the Willamette and McKenzie rivers. While the water can look calm on the surface downstream, it still moves swiftly and stays cold from mountain runoff. Additionally, the water carries downed trees, submerged branches and other debris that can pin or trap people underwater.
The sheriff’s department, in its news release about Saturday’s drowning, reminded people to “always wear a properly fitting life jacket, stay sober, and never get in the water alone.”