Another drowning in Western Mass. Just saw this in the local paper; don't know any more than this.
TEXT ATTACHMENTS http://www.gazettenet.com/2010/03/22/rescuers-pull-kayaker039s-body-green-river CSAuthResp=%3Asession%3ACSUserId|CSGroupId%3Asuccess%3AkLo1drbDNoR4yg9cgD9lTQ%3D%3D&CSUserId=7051&CSGroupId=5GREENFIELD
Emergency crews Sunday afternoon recovered the body of Edward Lynde, who fell in the Green River while kayaking Saturday evening. Lynde, 53, of Greenfield, had been kayaking with his 16-year-old daughter and her teenage friend, said Police Lt. William Gordon. "He went around a corner in the river to see if it was clear," Gordon said. "Then he turned around to say it was not clear and, it appears, he tipped over."
Lynde's daughter saw her father come back above the water and then go back under at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Gordon said. "He was last seen in an area that had trees coming out into the water, so we focused on that area." But, fast-moving water, steep terrain and branches hanging out into the water that had trapped debris made the search-and-recovery effort difficult, he said. "We had to be very careful about getting the rescuers caught in the debris so we had to take special precautions so that took a long time," Gordon said.
Rescuers all wore life jackets and helmets and put special bags in the water when working to get to Lynde, Gordon said. On Saturday and for most of Sunday, the water was very high, he said. Later in the day the water level went down, making the area more visible, Gordon said. On Saturday, emergency crews searched until about 10 p.m. when they stopped because of the dark, said Fire Chief Michael Winn.
Crews resumed their search at 6 a.m. Sunday, he said. On Sunday, emergency services personnel searched the river, in boats as well as along the bank, from the Greenfield Swimming and Recreation Area to behind 290 Leyden Road, which is where Lynde was last seen. A Massachusetts State Police helicopter searched from the air. More than 100 people assisted in the search and provided support for those searchers, Winn said. "I'm extremely grateful for all the support we received from the community," Winn said.
Besides Greenfield fire and police departments, firefighters from Bernardston, Brattleboro, Vt., Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Orange, Turners Falls, Charlemont, Sunderland and Montague Center assisted with the search. The Northfield Dive Team, Massachusetts State Police, Environmental Police and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation also assisted in the search. The search-and-recovery effort was one of the first times the newly formed Franklin County Incident Management Team was utilized, said Shelburne Fire Chief Terry Dun. The Franklin County Sheriff's Department provided food and beverages for the crew.
