Accident Database

Report ID#67261

2000-06-01
accident date
Unidentified Man
victim
24
victim age
Cheat Canyon
river
Jenkinsburg to Cheat Lake
section
Just below Jenkiinsburg
location
2.5' -Albright Bridge
gage
n/a
water level
III
river difficulty
PFD Not Worn or Present
cause code(s)
Does not Apply
injury type(s)
Inexperience, One Boat Trip
factors
Private
trip type
Other
boat type
status?
status

Description

My wife and I took out at the junction of the Cheat and Big Sandy Rivers in West Virginia on June 1st to find the area crowded with rescue vehicles. The Morgantown, WV Dominion-Post reported that a 24-year-old man had been paddling a canoe with two woman friends. Water levels were moderate; around 2.5 feet at Albright. The man attempted to run a Class II-III rapid below the takeout and capsized. No PFD’s were worn, and he never resurfaced. A second canoe made it through the rapids without incident. The man’s friends swam to shore and contacted bystanders, who then notified authorities. Rescue squads from Bruceton Mills, Albright and Masontown, assisted by divers, local kayakers, and outfitters, searched the area thoroughly without success. To date the body has not been found. The area between Jenkinsburg Bridge and Cheat Lake is pretty remote and not traveled often, and this will make the recovery difficult. CCW