ACE had a drowning on the Lower Gauley on 10-03-2022. Level was 12,000 cfs, it was the hurricane weekend. It might have been a cardiac arrest. A 46 yr old male swam from the hole in Upper Stairsteps all the way thru upper and lower Stairsteps. The rescue initiated from the last eddy on river left above Roller Coaster. That’s a long swim at really big water An AOTG trip arrived within 5 minutes of CPR being started and helped coordinate the rescue. Park Service was on scene approximately 20-25 minutes later with an AED. The man was then loaded him on the Park Service cataraft with a guide who continued CPR while they went down river to the sugar creek access where EMS was waiting. He did not survive.
Active duty U.S. Air Force member drowns on the Gauley River
By Megan Brandl, WDTV 5
Published: Oct. 4, 2022 at 4:13 PM EDT
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - The New River Gorge (NRG) National Park and Reserve confirmed that an active duty U.S. Air Force member drowned on the Gauley River Mon. October 3.
The 46-year-old from Ohio was on a commercial rafting trip with Ace Adventure Resort when he drowned, according to an NRG spokesperson. The drowning happened around 1:30 p.m. on the lower Gauley, class 4 rapids known as Stair Steps. The victim’s body was recovered from the Fayette County side of the river.
