Dec 31, 1969 – Flint

Report ID#86901

1969-12-31
accident date
Unidentified Couple
victim
0
victim age
Flint
river
Sprewell Bluff State Park to Po Biddy Road
section
River right at the Gerald Lawhorn Boy Scout camp
location
8.3 - 8.5 on the hwy 36 gauge
gage
Medium
water level
II
river difficulty
Pinned in Boat Against Strainer
cause code(s)
Does not Apply
injury type(s)
n/a
factors
Private
trip type
Open Canoe
boat type
status?
status

Description

Husband and Wife were paddling down the right side of the river following a small set of waves. As the bow paddler cleared the last wave she noticed an almost submerged catwalk extending aprox 20 from the bank made of stone slab rock being propped up by columns of rock. The canoe was traveling at a speed of aprox 10mph as it T-boned the catwalk turning the boat broadside and immediately flipped and ejected occupants. As the paddlers surfaced they were immediately washed into and then under the submerged rock. they appeared 10 downstream uninjured. This is an extremely dangerous obstruction that needs to be avoided.