On December 15th Wes Gilligan and his partner launched at the BZ Corners Put-in on the While Salmon River in Washington. This is a popular run that the pair knew well. The put-in is in the middle of a Class IV rapid. Mr. Gilligan ran through the hole at the bottom of the rapid, flipped, and rolled up. The pair eddied out at the bottom of the drop, and had a brief conversation. His partner noticed that Mr. Gilligan's demeanor had slightly changed. After exiting the eddy, he flipped, and did not attempt to roll up. His partner did several "hand of god" rescues, but could not keep Mr. Gilligan upright. The partner finally flipped, bailed out, pulled Mr. Gilligan from his kayak, and swam him to shore at an outfitter access. There he performed CPR for an extended period before seeking help. Further efforts were unsuccessful. There is no evidence of head trauma, and some kind of heath problem is suspected. An autopsy is pending.
