Kayaker drowns on Gauley River - WVVA TV Bluefield Beckley WV News, Weather and Sports

Kayaker drowns on Gauley River

Posted:

Summersville, W.Va (WVVA)-  A man drowned after his kayak overturned while going down the Gauley River with a group of friends.

It happened Sunday around 1:30 p.m.  Chief Ranger Jeff West says the victims kayak flipped at the Pillow Rock rapids, approximately four river miles below the Summersville Dam.  The kayaker, a man in his mid-fifties, was able to get out of the boat but then became trapped below the water on Camera Rock.

Fellow boaters were eventually able to free the man.  Bystander CPR was initiated and continued once paramedics arrived; however, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

His body was transferred to Summersville Hospital for medical examiners to review the case.

The name of the victim is not being released at this point in time pending the notification of his family.

This marks the third fatality during Gauley Season this year.  On September 19th a woman was killed after falling out of her raft.  Days later, 21-year-old Matthew Hanes of Tennessee, was killed after being tossed from his raft at Fingernail rapid.

 

Powered by WorldNow
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WVVA.
All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Persons with disabilities who need assistance with issues relating to the content of this station's public inspection file should contact Administrative Assistant Audrey Sluss at (304) 324-0659. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, at 888-835-5322 (TTY) or at fccinfo@fcc.gov.