I have a brief report of fatality on the Nolichucky River Thursday. Two gentlemen put on in a Walmart type craft and flipped somewhere in Quarter Mile. One person was missing for 30-45 minutes the other flagged down a commercial trip. When the guides arrived on scene the victim was dead and the extraction ensued. I am hearing this from a guide involved.
Jack Britt via FB: We'll, let's get it straight. I was T.L..
Our trip was at jaws, we saw a man running from the tracks wet, no shoes and a P.F.D.
I headed for river left and talked to him. He and his cousin were in a tandem Bass pro shop fishing funyak, He said they flipped at the top of quarter mile and he lost the duck, Which the victim was holding on to .He swam 1/4 mile, then went looking for his cousin and found him. Went through about 45min. of CPR with no response.
We called the outpost, they called Mitchell co.EMS. Two of us and the cousin went 50 yards below Murphy's and found him. Covered him up, pulled a boat onto a rock at rivers edge so no one could see, and waited for EMS .They were there within an hr. We evacuated the body and the cousin rode out on the tracks. We rejoined our trip.
PLEASE, never do a single boat trip. Please, don't paddle a fishing yak in the gorge. Please don't shuttle a one boat trip.
