Accident Database

Report ID#67247

2002-04-16
accident date
William Peace
victim
34
victim age
Hoosic
river
Schaghticoke Dam to Powerhouse
section
n/a
location
n/a
gage
n/a
water level
N/A
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

William Peace, 34, was canoeing with a fellow turkey hunter on New York’s Hoosic River on April 16th. Neither man was wearing a PFD when the pair “unexpectedly” encountered rapids near the Vermont state line and flipped. Peace’s partner, who was able to grab a floating life vest, made it ashore in time to see his friend and the canoe being carried around a bend. A motorist witnessed the accident and called police. Rescuers found the boat stuck in riverside brush near the site of the capsizing and the body a mile and a half downriver.