Thurmont man identified as kayaker who died after falling into Monocacy River

A man died Thursday morning when his kayak overturned on the Monocacy River after hitting debris, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police.

The man was kayaking with four others, including a relative of his, when the group hit the debris about half a mile south of LeGore Bridge Road. All of the boaters were wearing life jackets and made it to shore, but the man had swallowed some water after the kayak overturned, said Maryland Natural Resources Police Lt. Charles Fawley.

“He was actually able to speak after they had reached the shore, but the water got trapped in his lungs and caused him to lose consciousness and become unresponsive,” Fawley said.

Natural Resources Police identified the man who died as 58-year-old Thurmont resident Patrick Waldron in a tweet posted to the agency’s official Twitter account Thursday afternoon. The tweet confirmed Waldron was wearing a life jacket and noted that he was an “experienced” kayaker.

Waldron may have also suffered from underlying medical issues, but his death was being considered a drowning as of Thursday, according to Fawley.

An autopsy was to be performed by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Friday, said Candy Thomson, a Natural Resources Police spokeswoman.

Waldron’s fellow kayakers began CPR, attempting to revive him for 40 to 45 minutes while first responders worked to get to the scene, Fawley said. He was pronounced dead after rescuers arrived.

The kayakers were on an isolated stretch of the river and crews approached on foot from LeGore Bridge Road and by boat from Creagerstown Park, said Battalion Chief Tom Coe, a spokesman for the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services.

Fire and rescue personnel from the New Midway Volunteer Fire Company, along with units from Woodsboro, Walkersville Rescue, New Market, the Junior Fire Company in Frederick, Fort Detrick and the county’s Advanced Technical Rescue team all responded to the call, Coe said.

Frederick County sheriff’s deputies were also called to respond as Natural Resources Police were outside the immediate area when the call came in at 10:36 a.m., Fawley said.

Several people waiting with police near the boat launch at Creagerstown Park confirmed that they were the kayakers rescued from the river, but declined to comment further.

The current was quite swift and the water level was elevated following recent rain across the region, which was a consideration for rescuers, Fawley said, adding that there were no notifications or warnings advising people to stay off the Monocacy River on Thursday.

Thurmont man identified as kayaker who died after falling into Monocacy River

 

By by Jeremy Arias

Aug 9, 2018  Updated  Aug 9, 2018

Frederick News-PosA

A  A man died Thursday morning when his kayak overturned on the Monocacy River after hitting debris, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police.

The man was kayaking with four others, including a relative of his, when the group hit the debris about half a mile south of LeGore Bridge Road. All of the boaters were wearing life jackets and made it to shore, but the man had swallowed some water after the kayak overturned, said Maryland Natural Resources Police Lt. Charles Fawley.

“He was actually able to speak after they had reached the shore, but the water got trapped in his lungs and caused him to lose consciousness and become unresponsive,” Fawley said.

Natural Resources Police identified the man who died as 58-year-old Thurmont resident Patrick Waldron in a tweet posted to the agency’s official Twitter account Thursday afternoon. The tweet confirmed Waldron was wearing a life jacket and noted that he was an “experienced” kayaker.

Waldron may have also suffered from underlying medical issues, but his death was being considered a drowning as of Thursday, according to Fawley.

An autopsy was to be performed by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Friday, said Candy Thomson, a Natural Resources Police spokeswoman.

Waldron’s fellow kayakers began CPR, attempting to revive him for 40 to 45 minutes while first responders worked to get to the scene, Fawley said. He was pronounced dead after rescuers arrived.

The kayakers were on an isolated stretch of the river and crews approached on foot from LeGore Bridge Road and by boat from Creagerstown Park, said Battalion Chief Tom Coe, a spokesman for the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services.

Fire and rescue personnel from the New Midway Volunteer Fire Company, along with units from Woodsboro, Walkersville Rescue, New Market, the Junior Fire Company in Frederick, Fort Detrick and the county’s Advanced Technical Rescue team all responded to the call, Coe said.

Frederick County sheriff’s deputies were also called to respond as Natural Resources Police were outside the immediate area when the call came in at 10:36 a.m., Fawley said.

Several people waiting with police near the boat launch at Creagerstown Park confirmed that they were the kayakers rescued from the river, but declined to comment further.

The current was quite swift and the water level was elevated following recent rain across the region, which was a consideration for rescuers, Fawley said, adding that there were no notifications or warnings advising people to stay off the Monocacy River on Thursday.