Accident Database

Report ID# 3461

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  • PFD Not Worn or Present
  • Does not Apply
  • Cold Water
  • High Water

Accident Description

River is high, fast moving Class I

UPDATE: SEARCH FOR CANOEIST RESUMES

Story Published: May 2, 2011 at 1:35 PM EDT

State police put their boat back into the Black River Monday in hopes of finding 67 year old Ronald Roth. The Pennsylvania man was fishing in a canoe with his son Saturday, when police said their fishing lines became tangled, and as they tried to free the lines, the canoe capsized. The son was able to safely swim to shore. Ronald roth is still missing. Other police agencies plan to search along the banks of the river for any signs of Roth. The search for a missing canoeist in the Black River was called off early Sunday afternoon. The search is now officially being called a recovery effort.

Officials say 67 year-old Ronald Roth of Orefield, Pennsylvania, was swept into the Black River late Saturday afternoon. Roth went missing near Dexter after the canoe he and his 36 year-old son were in capsized in the Black River. The son used his cell phone to call for help about 5:30 p.m. and reported that his father had drifted away with their canoe after the vessel capsized. Search teams met Sunday morning, and mapped out their plan for Sunday's efforts. Jefferson County's dive team entered the water as part of the search.

Late Saturday, rescue boatcrews aboard a 47-foot motor lifeboat from U.S. Coast Guard Station Oswego, and a Canadian coast guard Griffin helicopter were searching and a Coast Guard helicopter crew was en route. The Dexter fire department, the Jefferson County sheriff's department, the Onondaga County sheriff’s office and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation were all part of the search. Responders located the canoe but continued to search for the missing man, who is reportedly wearing a dark blue shirt and pants and a camouflage jacket. He was reportedly not wearing a life jacket. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department says they will continue recovery efforts this week. They expect to conduct shoreline searches, and once the river calms down, they plan to send boats out as well. Police search for drowned boater's body

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2011 DEXTER — A shoreline search was resumed Monday morning by the Dexter Fire Department for a 67-year-old Pennsylvania man who is believed drowned after being thrown into the turbulent Black River when his canoe overturned. The victim is identified as Ronald N. Roth, of 3440 Highland Road, Orefield, Pa., according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. His son, Timothy Roth, 36, also of Orefield, survived the spill after swimming to shore. The accident was reported at 5:35 p.m. Saturday. The father and son were fishing when their lines became tangled, and the canoe capsized while they were attempting to free the lines, according to a sheriff's press release.

BODY OF MISSING CANOEIST RECOVERED IN BLACK RIVER BAY

By WWNY Staff

Story Published: May 11, 2011 at 1:17 PM EDT

7 News has learned that the U.S. Coast Guard has recovered a body in the marshes of the Black River Bay. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department confirmed it's Ronald Roth, a canoeist who has been missing since April 30. The 67 year old Pennsylvania man was fishing in a canoe with his son, when police said their fishing lines became tangled. As they tried to free the lines, the canoe capsized. The son was able to safely swim to shore. According to Sheriff John Burns, the body was found by two people who were fishing.

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