Accident Database: Accident #1018
| River: | Moose |
| Section: | 2. Lower: Rock Island to Fowlersville |
| Location: | Froth Hole Rapid |
| Gauge: | 7.5' |
| Water Level: | High |
| Difficulty: | V |
| Accident Code(s): | Head Injury (Hydraulic) |
| Injury Code(s): | Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury, Spinal Injury |
| Private/Commercial: | Commercial |
| Boat Type: | Raft |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Hazard Codes: | Rocks that cause blunt trauma, High Water |
| Detailed Description: | Broken Neck on the Lower Moose
This incident occurred on a commercial trip on the Moose run by Eastern River Expeditions of Greenville, Maine. A passenger was thrown violently backwards and out of his raft while running Froth Hole rapid, a huge drop into a nasty hole. He apparently hit his head on a submerged rock, causing a “hangman’s fracture” of the third cervical vertebrae. He was pulled in by a throw line, and was assisting others when he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He was told to lie down on the rocks. The victim was stabilized, evaluated, and tied to a backboard which the company keeps on site for just this reason. He was carried to a waiting ambulance, where he was transported to the hospital and put into halo traction. He has made a full recovery with no residual damage.
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| Conclusions: | ANALYSIS: Excellent preparedness and first aid care on the part of the outfitter made this potentially crippling accident a routine “save”. |
| Report Status: | On Going |