On June 26, 1996, Peter Duffy, 44, died on a commercial rafting trip on the Upper Hudson River near North Creek, NY . This was the last weekend of the spring rafting season; the Hudson was running at 4.2 feet, a low level that made the run mostly Class III. Duffy's raft went over a small pourover in Harris Rift, the last major rapid, and he fell into the river. Facing upstream, he attempted to stand, caught his right foot between two rocks, and was pushed under. His life jacket was stripped off, and he was trapped under 3 feet of water. It took the guides 2 1/2 hours to recover his body.
SOURCE: Richard Morse; Adirondack Post-Star
ANALYSIS: (Walbridge) Foot entrapment rescues are very difficult. You might as well step in front of a speeding car as get your foot caught in a fast moving river. The victim was warned, but failed to follow instructions
The AWA's Richard Morse reported that on June 26 Peter Duffy, 44, died on a commercial trip on the Upper Hudson River. It was the last weekend of the spring rafting season and the Hudson was running at 4.2', a low level. This made the run mostly class III. Duffy's raft went over a small pourover in Harris Rift, the last major rapid, where he fell into the river. Duffy attempted to stand, caught his right foot between two rocks, and was pushed down. His life jacket was stripped off, and he was trapped under 3 feet of water. It took the guides 2 1/2 hours to recover his body.
