Reports posted to the internet and forwarded by Colorado Whitewater Association Safety Chair Roger Lynn described the incident as follows: Vernon, a third year kayaker, capsized halfway down the course just above the most turbulent section. After two roll attempts he slid out of his kayak. Initially conscious, he appeared to lose consciousness and floated face-down for the rest of the rapid. Two throw ropes hit him without response. Several safety boaters grabbed him, flipped him over, and got him to shore with some difficulty. Rescue squads were on hand and CPR began at once, He was taken to Vail Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The official cause of death, based on an autopsy, was heart failure.

The Vail Mountain Rescue Team is a well-trained unit. They provided excellent safety coverage and were augmented by chase boats stationed throughout the course. Two comments were made by observers. First, many safety boaters were paddling very short rodeo boats, great for playing the river, but not ideal for rescue. Second, this is an ideal site to set up a tethered swimmer rescue using a rescue PFD. This is often done European races and makes it easy to recover an unconscious person in whitewater. Neither change would have made a difference in this case. Given the heart problem, Vernon probably could not have been resuscitated.

The Dowd Chutes of Colorado’s Eagle River form a challenging stretch of continuous Class IV whitewater. It was the site of the Third Annual Dowd Chute Shootout, a 1,500-meter kayak race pitting three paddlers against one another through the rapids. The event on May 24, 1998 was sponsored by Jeep and promoted by the Vail Valley Tourism Bureau under the unfortunate slogan: “Winners will be rewarded. Losers will be resuscitated.” The water level that day was 1340 cfs, a moderate flow. The altitude, well over 8,000 feet, made the race unusually tiring.

Nathan Vernon, 27, was said by friends to be an experienced paddler who had run harder rivers before. He was competing in one of the heats when his kayak capsized halfway through the race. This is just above the steepest part of the rapid. After two failed attempts to roll he set up for a third, then bailed out. He briefly tried to grab his kayak, then appeared to lose consciousness and flushed down the rapids face-down. Witnesses said he floated for roughly a half mile. A pair of safety ropes hit him squarely, but Vernon lay motionless in the whitewater until two safety kayakers reached him and with great difficulty wrestled him into an eddy.

Vernon’s face was gray and his lips were blue when he was pulled from the water, and he had no pulse or respiration. Members of the Vail Mountain Rescue Team were on the scene, and CPR began at once. He was transported to Vail Valley Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Race officials canceled the remaining heats, and a vigil replaced the planned post-race party Sunday night. An autopsy ruled out drowning or head injury, suggesting that the cause might have been a heart arrhythmia brought on by the altitude, cold water, and extertion.

SOURCE: Roger W. Lynn, Safety Chair, Colorado Whitewater Association; Denver Post; Vail Daily; Ric Alesh, AW President, Terry Deliquadri, posting to rec.boats.paddle

ANALYSIS: (Walbridge)

1. Recovering from a flip during a race can be very challenging because the racer is out of breath and often rushes the roll. This must be considered by anyone competing in similar events.

2. The Vail Mountain Rescue Team is a well-trained unit. They provided excellent safety coverage and were augmented by chase boats stationed throughout the course. Observers made two comments. First, many safety boaters were paddling very short rodeo boats, great for playing the river, but not ideal for rescue. Second, this is an ideal site to set up a tethered swimmer rescue using a rescue PFD. This is often done European races and makes it easy to recover an unconscious person in whitewater.