River/Stream: West Nodaway River
Location: Clarinda, Page County; Built: 1958; Owner: City of Clarinda
Height: 8 feet; Length: 130 feet
Kayaker drowns after
riding over low-head dam near Clarinda
By Nancy Gaarder BH News
Service
Jul 10, 2019
A kayaker drowned on
Friday while trying to ride across a low-head dam on the Nodaway River in
southwest Iowa. Jerrimiah Bryant Smiley,
38, of Maryville, Missouri, drowned when he was pitched off his kayak and
pulled under by the undertow directly below the dam.
Smiley and another man,
David Medley, 33, also of Maryville, had been on a multiday kayaking camping
trip along the Nodaway. They were kayaking from Villisca, Iowa, to Maitland,
Missouri. The drowning occurred near Clarinda.
Both went over the dam
on their kayaks, both were wearing life vests and both were thrown into the
river. Medley, who was swept downriver, made multiple unsuccessful efforts to
reach Smiley. When the river flushed Smiley out, Medley pulled him to the side
of the river to attempt CPR. Emergency personnel arrived on scene and took
Smiley to an area hospital, where he was declared dead.
The Page County
Sheriff’s Office, the Clarinda Police and Fire Departments, and the Clarinda
Ambulance service assisted at the scene.
