Kayaker drowns in Schuylkill River
By Patrick Kerkstra Inquirer Staff Writer
A 57-year-old Philadelphia woman drowned in the Schuylkill yesterday afternoon after performing a routine kayak roll that went wrong. Police identified the victim as Dale V. Herrick of the 600 block of West Park Lane in the Tulpehocken section of Northwest Philadelphia. Herrick was a dedicated member of the Philadelphia Canoe Club, and an experienced kayaker, said club leader Todd Zielinski. She gave lessons to many other kayakers, including Zielinski, he said.
Herrick was practicing rolls in calm water beside a dock at the Canoe Club, near the intersection of Lincoln Drive and Ridge Avenue. "Nobody would ever have expected this to happen to her. She's been a paddler for almost 20 years. She's paddled class-four whitewaters. A roll in flat water was a yawn for her," Zielinski said.
It was the first drowning in the Canoe Club's 100-year history, Zielinski said. Herrick was using a whitewater kayak, in which paddlers strap themselves into the vessel with a suit called a spray skirt. In the event a kayaker becomes trapped under water while rolling, the suits are equipped with loops which can be grabbed to quickly release the spray skirt from the kayak. Zielinski said he thinks Herrick mistakenly tucked her grab loop inside the kayak cockpit, and thus was unable to reach it and release herself from the vessel. It is a fairly common but dangerous mistake, he said. "It was something incredibly simple, and incredibly stupid, and it could happen to anybody," Zielinski said.
Paramedics were called when other Canoe Club members spotted her capsized kayak. Herrick was pronounced dead at Roxborough Memorial Hospital. Contact staff writer Patrick Kerkstra at 215-854-2827 or pkerkstra@phillynews.com.
Woman Drowns In Schuylkill River Kayaking Accident
Saturday, 28 Jun 2008
Philadelphia Police say a woman drowned while kayaking on the Schuylkill River on Saturday. 57-year-old Dale Herrick was an instructor at the Philadelphia Canoe Club, at 4900 Ridge Avenue, for more than 20 years. Its members maintain a historic building on the banks of the Schuylkill in Fairmount Park. She'd often practice kayaking maneuvers there. She was on the river near the club when other members found her kayak capsized at about 2:21p.m. They got the woman to shore and tried to revive her, but she was pronounced dead at Roxborough Memorial Hospital.
Several boaters were out on the water at the time, but members say Herrick was practicing alone. "She was a very good boatist and it's very odd that she wound up in the situation that she did," said boater Bill Knab. Todd Zielinski of the club says Herrick was apparently practicing a basic maneuver called "The Roll", by which a person rights the kayak after it is upside down. He says something went wrong and "she couldn't get out of her boat.It's very easy to get out of but she had an error with the equipment and boat and she didn't get out," said Zielinski. "If you are wearing the proper gear, you can survive. There are times like this when you don't know what can happen," said Knab. But given her level of experience, friends say it should have been a simple maneuver.
"It's not a dangerous sport. She was in six feet of water -- flat water. She's navigated 'Class 4: Whitewater' without a problem," said Zielinski. Zielinski says the club has been in existence for more than a century. They have never had such an accident. Yet it reminds them of the precautions they need to take on the water. "For an incident like this, is an example of why you should have someone with you in the water," said Knab. The Medical Examiner is now trying to determine how the woman died. Police are not ruling out a possible medical condition
John Atwater contributed to this report.
NBC10.com Woman Drowns In Boating Accident On Schuykill River
POSTED: 5:50 pm EDT June 28, 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia police said a woman drowned while kayaking on the Schuykill River on Saturday afternoon. The woman drowned at about 2:30 p.m. after her kayak overturned in the water. Authorities said the woman was on the river with the Philadelphia Canoe Club. Club members said the woman was an experienced kayaker who taught kayaking and canoeing. She had been a member of the Philadelphia Canoe Club since 1989. "She's extremely competent, and she was practicing right off the dock," club member Todd Zielinski said. "So it seems basically that it was basically just an accident." Club members said the victim was practicing rollover maneuvers in a new kayak. She was then unable to re-right the vessel or get out, witnesses said.
Fellow boaters tried to rescue the woman. "They were able to lift the boat up, get her out of the boat, bring her to land and tried in vain to resuscitate her using CPR," witness Dan Knapp said. Knapp said he had met the woman about an hour before the boating accident. He said he was considering joining the Philadelphia Canoe Club, and the woman had shown him around the club. Club members said they were stunned. "We've been here for 100 years, and we haven't had so much as a single accident," Zielinski said.
Kayaker drowns in Schuylkill
By Patrick Kerkstra INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
A 57-year-old Philadelphia woman drowned in the Schuylkill this afternoon after performing a routine kayak roll that went wrong.Police declined to release the woman's name tonight, as they were attempting to notify her next of kin. The victim was a dedicated member of the Philadelphia Canoe Club, and an experienced kayaker, said club leader Todd Zielinski. She gave lessons to many other kayakers, including Zielinski, he said.
The woman was practicing rolls in calm water beside a dock at the Canoe Club, near the intersection of Lincoln Drive and Ridge Avenue. "Nobody would ever have expected this to happen to her. She's been a paddler for almost 20 years. She's paddled class-four whitewaters. A roll in flat water was a yawn for her," Zielinski said. It was the first drowning in the Canoe Club's 100-year history, Zielinski said. The victim was using a whitewater kayak, in which paddlers strap themselves into the vessel with a suit called a spray skirt. In the event a kayaker becomes trapped under water while rolling, the suits are equipped with loops which can be grabbed to quickly release the spray skirt from the kayak. Zielinski said he thinks the victim mistakenly tucked her grab loop inside the kayak cockpit, and thus was unable to reach it and release herself from the vessel. It is a fairly common but dangerous mistake, he said. "It was something incredibly simple, and incredibly stupid, and it could happen to anybody," Zielinski said.
Paramedics were called when other Canoe Club members spotted her capsized kayak. She was pronounced dead at Roxborough Memorial Hospital.
Dale Herrick, a long-time member of the Philadelphia Canoe Club and certified ACA instructor, drowned yesterday in a boating accident on the Schuylkill River near the PCC clubhouse.
Dale had launched from the club and was alone, practicing a C-1 roll in her kayak. Dale was not in or teaching a class at the time, and the incident was unwitnessed. Instructors from a class being taught upriver noticed the boat floating upside down about 200 yards downstream from the club. They approached and righted the kayak, discovered Dale, and noticed the grab loop to her sprayskirt was inside the boat. They moved to shore, began CPR, and notified 9-1-1. On scene and hospital resuscitation was unsuccessful; the case is now with the medical examiner and an investigation is ongoing.
Dale was a valuable and valued member of the boating community. Our hearts go out to her family and wide circle of friends during this time of difficulty.
