Accident Database

Report ID#65357

2003-03-27
accident date
Walt Given
victim
60
victim age
Kanawha River
river
Kanawha Falls near Gauley Bridge
section
n/a
location
13,200 cfs
gage
High
water level
II
river difficulty
Flush Drowning
cause code(s)
Does not Apply
injury type(s)
Cold Water, High Water, Solo Paddling
factors
Private
trip type
Other
boat type
status?
status

Description

At 2:00 PM Walt Given (60’s) was seen by a WV-DNR officer launching his canoe at a public boat access below Kanawha Falls. The water level was medium-high, about 13,200 cfs. A story in the West Virginia Wildwater Association newsletter SPLASHES said that Mr. Given wobbled briefly in the squirrelly water below the 18′ drop before capsizing. Although he wore a PFD, getting to shore on this wide, fast river was going to be tough. The DNR officer called 911, then launched his boat. He found Mr. Given floating facedown in a channel between the beach and an island. He administered CPR unsuccessfully. http://tinyurl.com/c3d27