Fatal Whitewater Accidents Jan-June 2009
12 Kayak, 7 Canoe, 15 Rafting Fatalities




Date/State/Name/Age/River/Section/Boat/Accident

07-02 IL Jennifer M. Wehling 36 Vermilion River Near Oglesby, IL Raft Dam Hydraulic

07-01 WY Craig McCuistion 50 Snake River/Alpine Canyon 3 Raft Flush Drowning

06-29 CA Soren Pederson 29 South Fork American/Troublemaker CRaft Foot Entrapment

06-26 CO Laurie Clemons 35 Animas River/Silverton to Tacoma CRaft Flush-Drowning

06-21 AL Jimmy Debortoli 64 Coosa River/Dam to River Road Kayak Foot Entrapment

06-20 CO Eric Kophs 41 Colorado River /S. of Kremmling Raft Flush-Drowning?

06-19 AR Ronnie Campbell 55 Ouachita River/Remmel Dam Kayak Dam Hydraulic

06-19 VA Simon Knopp 76 James River/Glen Wilton to Gala Raft No PFD, Strainer

06-19 UT Jody Page 35 Colorado River/Near Moab Canoe No PFD

06-13 WY Brian Stothart 35 Encampment River/St. Line-Encamp C-1 Undercut Rock

06-09 PA Chris & Chad Miller 28,34 Brandywine Creek/Below Lenape,PA Canoe Dam Hydraulic

06-06 VA Chris Odum 38 Blackwater River/Blue Bend-US220 Canoe Dam Hydraulic

06-06 CO Ed Gaker 20’s Lake Fork Gunnison/Above Sherman Kayak Waterfall

06-04 CO Drew Hunter 29 Black Gore Creek/Fishladder Sec Kayak Bad Hydraulic

05-30 ID Dr. Tony Oertling 54 Marble Creek/3m above St Joe Kayak Strainer

05-25 UT Dennis L. Young 57 Colorado River/Westwater Canyon Raft Flush Drowning

05-25 CO Jeanne Haylett 40 Dolores River/Upper Dolores Raft PFD Pulled Off

05-23 ID F. Veltri/G.Brakeman 45,43 Coeur DAlene/Bbee Brdge-Cataldo Raft No PFD;Strainer

05-22 WA Robert Wheatley Jr. 23 Nisqually River/Below Yelm Raft No PFD

05-22 CA Cheryl Ann Johnson 51 Bear River/Near Colfax, CA Tube Flush-Drowning

05-21 UT Michael D. Carlos 37 Colorado River/Cataract Canyon#2 Raft Flush-Drowning

05-21 MD James Hughes ? Potomac River/Little Falls Kayak Suicide

05-17 TN Tony Evans 61 BSF Cumberland/Leatherwood-St.Camp Canoe No PFD

05-09 WA A.Ramirez/J.Moran 20,19 Yakima River/Wapato Diversion Dam Raft Dam Hydraulic

05-08 AL Walker Taylor 22 Tallapoosa/Thurlow Dam-boat ramp Kayak No PFD

05-08 CO James Vavra 45 Dolores River/Rico to McPhee Res Canoe Flush-Drowning

05-06 MT Richard Galli 72 Bitterroot River/S.of Hamilton,MT Raft Strainer

05-02 WV Jody Jones 31 New River/Thurmond to Cunard Canoe No PFD

04-19 ID Dirk Gombert 53 Snake River/Murtaugh Raft Bad Hydraulic

04-17 CA John Burnham 63 Kern River/Forks of the Kern Kayak Body Pin

04-17 MI Richard Honrath Jr. 47 Silver River/Upper Silver Kayak Bad hydraulic

03-29 VA Mercer Oast 51 Maury River/Goshen Pass Kayak Strainer

03-04 KY John Imes 64 Kentucky River/Near Lock #4 Kayak No PFD