| Hazard Codes: | Blast rock, Low Head Dam, High Water, Hydraulic/Keeper Hole, Man-made Debris Strainer, Pin/Broach, Rocks that cause blunt trauma, Natural Strainer or Sieve, Water Temp, Waterfall |
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| Initial Report: | I'm trying to get more details for you, but here's what I have so far:
River: Red Moshannon, north-central PA 30 minutes NW of State College
Level: medium
Difficulty: II-II+, pool-and-drop, last mile fairly busy
Water temp: estimate mid-30's
Air temp: estimate mid-40's to perhaps 50
Conditions: sunny, breezy
Event: Red Moshannon 7-mile downriver race
Date: March 27, 2010
Time: about 2:30 PM
Paddler: George Lockey
Paddler age: 62
Paddler craft: kayak
I don't know the make/model; there are links to photos
of George in his boat on race day here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Moshannon-Downriver-Race/344006304032?_fb_noscript=1#!/pages/Red-Moshannon-Downriver-Race/344006304032?v=wall
Incident: paddler capsized at/near the finish line, came out of his
boat, and was floating face down. Another competitor (who I believe
is a guide at the Yough) went swimming almost immediately, brought
him to shore. Paddler was not breathing, CPR was started on the bank.
EMTs (who were standing on the finish bridge) were there in under
a minute. 911 was called. CPR continued while waiting for ambulance.
Ambulance transported to local hospital. At some point later, chopper
transported to UPMC in Pittsburgh. Competitors at post-race dinner were informed around 4 PM that he was breathing on his own: unknown whether he was at local hospital or UPMC by then, I suspect the former. Paddler died Tuesday morning 3/30/2010 circa 2:30 AM,
cause as yet unknown. |
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| Summary: | Dave Guss, a long time race organizer, was sitting safety 40 yards below the finish line when he saw Mr. Lockley floating downstream. . He threw his rope, hitting Mr. Lockley across his face. When Mr. Lockley made no attempt to grab the rope Mr. Guss launched his canoe and chased him downstream. At the Route 53 bridge a competitor, Andrew Kirsch, swam towards Mr. Lockley, who at this point was floating face-down. He and Mr. Guss worked together to bring Mr. Lockley ashore. Mr. Lockley had been wearing a wetsuit, helmet, and an "automatic inflatable" PFD. The PFD did not inflate; he was floating very low and face down, this complicating the rescue. A doctor and several nurses and paramedics were on the scene, and CPR was done with extrodinary professionalism. 911 was called. An EMT brought specialized equipment including oxygen, airways, and a breathing mask. The rescusitation team got a pulse and respiration, and an ambulance transported him to a life flight helicopter. At the hospital, the man was found to have suffered a massive stroke and died soon afterwards. |
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