Outdoors/Adventure
There was a commercial rafting accident on Alaska’s Nenana River. On an otherwise routine trip four people fell out of a raft in Class IV Cable Car Rapid. Two swimmers were recovered immediately; a third shortly thereafter. The fourth swimmer, a 67 year-old woman, was immediately unresponsive to swimmer commands and was chased down by her raft and recovered within 90 seconds according to witnesses. She was pulled aboard just above the next rapid. CPR began quickly, and continued as the rafters paddled hard for the takeout. First responders met them 45 minutes later and pronounced the woman dead.
Figuring out why seemingly survivable swims kill is pretty challenging. An autopsy may tell us something, but perhaps not. Heart failure due to electrical disturbances do not show up. A laringospasm caused by inhaling small amounts of icy water likewise leaves no trace. Older, heavier guests face added risks, and are the most common victims of this "sudden unresponsiveness'.
North Carolina woman dies after falling from raft during guided tour near Denali
By Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News
July 11, 2024
A North Carolina woman drowned after she fell out of a raft during a guided tour near Denali National Park at the end of June, Alaska State Troopers said this week. Pamela Waaser, 67, was on a commercial rafting trip with Denali Raft Adventures on the Nenana River when she fell out while traversing rapids on June 24, troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said. She collapsed while she was trying to get back in the raft, he said.
There were eight people on the raft, including guides, Waaser’s family, a retired doctor and an emergency medical technician, DeSpain said. The group provided first aid, along with local medics, but Waaser died, troopers said. Troopers released a statement about the death Tuesday. DeSpain said they waited for the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine that Waaser had died from drowning.
