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Below please find a table summarizing the fatal whitewater accidents reported so far this year. The high water has taken a serious toll: 53 people in 47 incidents. The previous high number is 53 deaths for the entire year! The numbers by boat: Kayaks 12, Canoes 9, Inflatables 16 private and 7 commercial, 5 âotherâ. The kayak numbers are in line with previous years; about 50% ofAccident causes include 17 flush drownings, 16 PFDâs not worn or fell off; 7 strainer pins, and 7 low head dams. 90% of accidents have some tie to high flows.Geographical distribution of accidents: 27 West, 20 East and Midwest. Idaho leads the total by state with 5, Utah has seen 3, many other states are tied with 2.There have been 5 serious back injuries from waterfall runs. It seems that almost everyone who dues this regularly will eventually be hurt.My thanks to those who have sent in reports and leads. Please send any corrections or reports of other incidents to: ccwalbridge (at) cs.comWhitewater Accidents Reported to American Whitewater Jan â July, 2011Date State Name Age Boat River Section/Location Class Cause07-11 TN Dick Chijiok 34 Tube Little River The 'Y' I No PFD07-09 PA Michael Smith 47 Canoe? Susquehanna R. ? Strainer07-07 WY Jim Sawyer 77 Comm Raft Snake River Alpine Canyon IV Flush Drowning07-05 MT Maccine Viola Smith 70 Raft Blackfoot River Scotty Brown Br. to Johnsrud Pk IV Flush Drowning07-04 WA Lyvben Gankova 47 IK Cooper River Waterfall to Cle Elum River ? No PFD07-03 WA Sharon Hughes 69 Comm Raft Wenatchee River Leavenworth to Monitor III Strainer07-03 CO Kevin Bair 26 Kayak South Mineral Cr. Above S. Mineral CG V Entrapment07-02 WY Unidentified Boy 4 Canoe Green River Green River Lakes to Tepee Creek ? Overloading, No PFD's, Alcohol07-01 AL Daniel S. Smith 22 Kayak Cypress Creek Dam at Florence Pumping Station X Low Head Dam06-30 UT Jaymond Brasher 47 Raft Colorado River Westwater Canyon, Skull Rapid IV PFD Came Off06-29 ID Keegan Ginther 29 Raft Lochsa River Wild. Gateway Br. to Split Cr. Pack Bridge IV Flush Drowning06-29 CA Tyler Minton, Lee Mattice 17, 43 Kayak Yuba River Englebright Dam to Parks Bar X Low Head Dam06-29 ID Brad Davis 47 Raft Middle Fork Salmon River Boundary Creek to Cache Bar IV Flush Drowning06-27 ID Stephen Forster 19 Kayak Payette, N. Fork Smiths Ferry to Banks V Flush Drowning06-26 ID Cami Oburn 34 Raft Middle Fk Boise above confluence with Boise River III Strainer06-25 CO John Novak 31 Kayak Eagle Riverbend bus stop to Edwards IV Flush Drowning06-23 CO Frank Diskin 69 Comm Raft Cache La Poudre Mishiwaka IV Flush Drowning06-19 TN Andrew Silvershein 16 Comm Raft Ocoee River Upper IV Foot Entrapment30 06-17 CO Susan Pyeatt-Terpening 65 Raft Colorado River Near Radium III Flush-Drowning06-16 MT Christopher Johnson 33 Comm Raft Yellowstone River Yankee Jim Canyon III Flush Drowning06-15 PA Michael Romo 41 Kayak Susquehanna River Dock Street Dam, Harrisburg, PA X Low Head Dam06-13 CA Quang Nguyen, Scott Neacato 25, 22 Raft Kern River Mouth of canyon to Lake Ming V Flush Drowning06-09 AZ James J. Waring Jr 39 Raft Colorado River Grand Canyon; Hance Rapid IV Flush Drowning06-08 CO Sue Ann Apolinar 38 Comm Raft Arkansas River Fisherman's Bridge to Stone Bridge III Strainer06-08 MI Sean Arnett 28 Canoe Grand River ? Strainer06-05 TN Jay McElroy 36 CommRaft Ocoee River Upper IV Health Problem06-03 GA Anna VanHorn 9 Tube Chattahoochee Metro Hooch II No PFD06-01 IN Unidentified Boy 1 Canoe Whitewater River Metamora, IN to Elizabethtown, OH I PFD Came Off05-31 UT Shirley Palmer 73 IK Green River Ouray to Green River Town II Flush Drowning05-31 UT Nathan Daniel Ellison 13 Air Matress Provo River Deer Creek Res. to Utah Lake I No PFD05-28 ID Randy A. Eroen 35 CommRaft Lochsa River Wild. Gateway Br. to Split Ck Pack Bridge IV Flush Drowning05-28 NY Angelo Zotto 71 RentedRaft Delaware Hancock to Port Jervis II No PFD05-23 OR Robert Desmarais 65 CommRaft Owyhee Three Forks to Rome; Upset Rapid IV Caught in hole05-21 MI John Przydatek, Doug Killingbeck 16,48 Canoe Huron River Near Milford, MI X Low Head Dam05-21 PA Jason Whipkey 31 Kayak Youghiogheny 6. Lower II No PFD05-16 MT Mary Patricia Plochowietz 68 Drift Boat Smith River Camp Baker to Eden Bridge Flush drowning05-06 ND Cory Berger, James Hellman 23, 24 Canoe Apple Creek Apple Creek CC, Bismark, ND No PFD, Dam Intake, Hi Water04-30 NY Ronald Roth 67 Canoe Black River ? No PFD04-21 WV Donald Smith 45 Kayak N Fork Blackwater to Blackwater River V Strainer04-19 IN David Pritchett 48 Kayak Big Walnut Creek Putnam County, NY ? Flooded River, Solo paddler04-17 NY Nicholas Kozemko 24 Kayak Catharine Creek Near Veteran, NY X Low Head Dam04-13 KY Tim Godfrey 29 Canoe Big South Fork Cumberland Station Camp to Blue Heron, KY III Flush Drowning04-03 WV Paul Malone, Sam Acord, Dean Halsey 23, 49, ? John Boat New River Bluestone Dam to Sandstone II No PFD's03-26 OR Warren Moran 59 Drift Boat McKenzie River McNutt Island ? Strainer02-19 CA Matthew Miller & Gavin Powell, 16, 17 Raft Walnut Creek Near Concord, CA ? No PFD's01-11 AZ Scott Foster 42 Kayak Colorado River Grand Canyon; Pres Harding Rapid III Flush Drowning01-01 TN Porpon (Paul) Pichanusakorn 27 Kayak Tellico Creek Upper; Ledge above Baby Falls IV Caught in hole