Oregon News
Washougal man, 68, drowns after Deschutes River rafting
accident
Posted Aug 07, 2020
Kate Williams | The Portland Oregonian/OregonLive
A 68-year-old man died in a rafting accident Thursday on
the Deschutes RIver after the boat he was in capsized in rapids, officials
said. Michael Marquand was on the second day of a two-day trip down the river with
his wife, 17-year-old grandson and a family friend, said Frank Groff,
Marquand’s son-in-law.
When the group got near Boxcar Rapids, the boat struck a
rock and flipped, Groff said. The groups spent nearly 30 minutes trying to
right the raft as other boats went past on the river. When the boat was finally
flipped back over, the group saw Marquand floating away. They pursued him but
were unable to catch up, Groff said. By the time they did, he had drowned.
Groff said Marquand had four decades of experience rafting
on the Deschutes and had never capsized previously. Marquand had recently
retired and “was just starting to enjoy it,” Groff said. “He loved to raft,”
Groff added. “It was a family thing.”
Chief Deputy Scott Williams of the Wasco County Sheriff’s
Office said Marquand was wearing a life jacket but it may not have been
properly fastened. “If you’re going to be out on the river, you must wear a
(personal floatation device) and wear it correctly,” Williams said.
Groff said he hoped Marquand’s death might spur other
people to take precautions on the water. “People should be aware of the
dangerous inherent in river rafting, he said, even someone that experienced.”