Accident Database

Report ID#65793

2003-07-05
accident date
Richard Thurman
victim
63
victim age
Kern
river
Lower
section
n/a
location
n/a
gage
n/a
water level
II
river difficulty
Health Problem
cause code(s)
Heart Attack / Heart Failure
injury type(s)
Other
factors
Commercial
trip type
Raft
boat type
status?
status

Description

On July 5th there were two commercial outfitting fatalities involving guests who died unexpectedly after taking a seemingly survivable swim through a rapid. On the Lower Kern River, Richard Thurman, 63, complained of difficulty breathing after floating through a Class I-II riffle. He was unable to climb back into his raft or swim ashore; when two guides finally got him inside a raft he was no longer breathing. Two river guides, one of whom is an EMT, and a pair of doctors who were on the trip started CPR. Paramedics responded quickly and took over the resuscitation attempt. Despite their efforts Mr. Thurman never regained consciousness. Total elapsed time was just 3 minutes from the first sign of trouble to unresponsiveness.