July 5th 2007 – Rapid Number 5 and 5&1/2: Lynn Marks (52 Y.O.A. female) and Bea Kovich (52 Y.O.A. female) were commercial passengers in separate rafts on a four boat trip. Both rafts were 13’ Hysides. Marks raft, the third in running order, struck a large rock on river right in Rapid # 5 and dump trucked all but the guide into the river. The second raft in running order on the trip tried to reach a paddle to Marks from river right but she made no movement toward the paddle or attempts to self rescue. This raft in which Bea Kovich was a passenger gave chase. In a rapid below Number 5 called Number 5 & ½ the chase boat struck a rock and capsized as passengers were pulling in swimmers from the first raft. Marks was pulled to shore by non-boaters on shore about 1,013 yards from where she entered the water in Rapid Number 5. Marks was pulled to shore by a raft on a separate commercial trip about 992 yards from where she entered the water in Rapid Number 5 & ½ . The river flow was 1040 cfs.
Stu Pappenfort, AHRA
