# rumor of tragedy on SBC, Anyone have info?



## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

Heard there was a possible drowning on sbc tonight. That is all I doh't know. Anyone have beta? Hoping for thre best...


----------



## tsavo (Aug 25, 2004)

*SBC*

All I've heard: boater under water for 18 minutes....he was with a group that went to get help...he was seperated from his boat after wet escape???? Lets pray!!!!


----------



## rasdoggy (Jan 31, 2005)

here is a link for the story from a websurfer that wants to paddles browns.
http://9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGN...MPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf


----------



## Jacob (May 22, 2005)

I was mountain biking the Walker Ranch trail last night. From a high point, I could see the emergency vehicles approaching. There were flashing lights down in the canyon. It looked like the narrow constriction just below the first Walker Ranch bridge. This one has a tight drop, followed by a big hole. The drop is lined with cliff and steep boulders. Don't know for certain, but that's where the activity was last night around 7:00 or so.


----------



## K2boater (Apr 25, 2004)

Thoughts and Prayers for the family and friends of our lost friend.


----------



## Schizzle (Mar 26, 2004)

I was in the group of four that came upon the accident about 10-15 minutes later. The drop was Moist Slot and the rock he was pinned under was about 15 feet downstream, river-right, from the hole created by the slot. I've seen this rapid at 250 and noticed this rock, but at 450 it is quite a bit more turbulence in the water flowing towards it.

The team that was involved in the accident had a rope on the victim when we arrived. 2 members were on the rock, river right, above the victim and 1 member was on the rock river left holding the attached rope. 

----I'm going to leave the accident details to the group members because I don't want to screw something up.----

Our group was able to extract the victim only because we had the horsepower. Myself and another member from my party pulled up on the victim from the rock he was trapped under, while 3 people pulled on the rope on the other side of the river. You could not pull the victim out anyway but against the current, upstream. It was a five person effort overall to get him out. His head when we arrived was only a foot underwater, but it may have been deeper before we got there. Both of his hands were out of the water. I don't know the victim's state of consciousness when he reached the point where he was pinned.

Once we pulled him out, people started CPR, but honestly it was way too long after he'd gone under to make any difference. I'm not sure how long he was under, but the 18 minutes in the news story smells like someone picking a number that sounds exact. No one starts a stopwatch in a situation like that. I actually think it was probably longer because upon arriving we were told he'd already been under for 10 minutes and it probably took another 15 minutes after we arrived to get him out. There was no observable pulse when we pulled him from the water. When the paramedics arrived they put an EKG on him and it was flat. 

I feel really bad for the team of guys he was with. It sounds like they scouted the drop, had safety setup, and were experienced. The way they described the accident to me, it sounds like they didn't do anything wrong.

Whoever the mountainbiker was that went for help, the officials who showed up said he did a perfect job describing the location -- they said this is a rarity, a lesson for the rest of us. The first ranger showed up only five minutes after we'd pulled the person from the river and dozen more people showed up in the next 15 minutes.

My conclusions/take-aways from the accident, and unfortunately also the one I participated in up on the Poudre three weeks ago, can be summarized in one sentence: when an accident happens and someone is underwater you have at most FIVE minutes to save your friend's life. Make sure you know what to do with in those five minutes and make sure your partners know what to do if it's you. Personally, I'm going to start mentally approaching my harder rapids as if I am by myself. I've had friends help me out of jams before, but I think this is a healthy, realistic approach to contemplating a drop. Don't run it just because you have a bagger on shore. Look at the whole drop and think about some of the scenarios that could play out. A lot of the good boaters I talk to seem to have this figured out already and I'm going to start applying it at my level of boating, too.


----------



## De la Boot (Apr 21, 2004)

Thoughts and feelings go out to family and the team involved. This is always difficult to take in. 
Is the Moist Slot the first significant drop? If so, I have seen someone swim there and their paddle get stuck under the very under-cut rock that is just to the right after the whole. Scary spot.

Schizzle, i agree with you. Sorry again to hear the news...


----------



## smoovvedaddy (Oct 14, 2003)

The gentlemen's name was James McFarland, he was from Golden, he was 34.


----------



## cayo (Mar 20, 2005)

I spoke with a member of the deceased's group this morning ,like Schizzle I DON'T WANT TO GIVE ANY MISINFORMATION,BUT HERE GOES;the first two boaters ran the drop with speed to punch the hole ,successfully Mr. MACFARLAND WHO APPARENTLY wasSCOUTING OR SETTING SAFETY,then handed my friend his throw bag and camera and procede to run the drop,he failed to clear the hole and was sucked back in ,i am not clear if he rolled or not but eventually swam into the sieve mentioned by Gary E. ON THE OTHER thread about safety the others in his group immediately got throw ropes to him but he was underwater .The side of the river nearest him was difficult terrain they tried like hell to save him eventually realizing they needed additional help ,my friend went up to the road or bike path and told some bikers to get help ,apparently there was another biker who helped as well,he then sought out SCHIZZLES group for help, with additional help from less frazzled boaters they got him out but it was too late, the authorities responded very quickly.I don't know where the news came up with 18 minutes,like we start a stop watch on rescues,my friends account matches Schizzzles about 1/2 hour.Hope this is accurate BE SAFE


----------



## WetMutt (Jun 3, 2005)

I was also in the group that came upon the scene after 10-15 minutes. My immediate reaction was that the tragedy had already happened, but we had to do our best even though we were realistic about our chances of a successful rescue. I have basic training in Wilderness First Responder and Swiftwater Rescue, and the others in our group also have rescue skills, training and experience. This was my first serious life threatening rescue, and today I'm thankful that I took the time to get trained _before_ I needed it. I hope my account here is helpful to others who read about accidents as part of their outdoor education process.

The other boaters in the James' party had understandably lost morale. They reported James had been underwater for 10 minutes. He was pinned under the large rock river-right 15 feet down stream below Moist Slot, the first drop after the first bridge below the regular put-in for SBC. Flow was about 475 cfs. His head was visible about a foot below the surface with his hands on top of the water.

Two boaters from James' party were standing on the rock above him. They signaled with a flat hand across the throat, and then made a "Z" in the air requesting a z-drag. I admit at times I wasn't sure if we should be acting in rescue or recovery mode. Schizzle's five minute time limit is well supported, but none of us let that stop us from continuing our efforts. Two boaters from our party ferried across to the rock where James was pinned. They clipped a biner onto his PFD with a 6-7mm throw bag line and threw the other end across the river and upstream to the river-left rescuers. Two of us pulled on the line and James did move a bit, but we were not able to break him free. We felt some small jerks on the line, and we thought we were making some progress, but in fact we were only ripping the sheath off of the line. Lesson 1: A small throw bag line may not withstand the forces required to pull someone out of a sieve. We then spent about 5 minutes working with pulleys, biners and anchors setting up a z-drag. This turned out to be unnecessary. The river-right rescuers also clipped a second line (9mm?) on James and threw that to the river-left rescuers. Then the three river-left rescuers tied grab loops in the small degenerating line and moved to an angle slightly more upstream. With three rescuers pulling on river-left, and two rescuers above James on river-right, the core of the line held and we were able to free him from the sieve. If the core had broken, I'm not sure we wouldn't have had someone else in the hole. This was probably our biggest risk to the rescuers.

We pulled him over to river right on a flat rock just out of the water and began CPR. His face was white, and his pupils were fixed and dilated. After the first rescue breath, we could hear a significant amount of water in his lungs. Three of us rotated CPR positions for about 30 minutes until paramedics arrived. Occasionally someone would wander into the "red zone" with a radio and street shoes. We kindly asked them to move back to a more safe location. The CPR was effective, in that we saw good capillary refill in his face, but of course he was failing to respond. When the paramedics arrived we carried James up to the path on river-left where they put the EKG on him. It was flat.

One of the paramedics was a boater who had successfully pulled his friend out of the same sieve only a year ago. He was very professional and gave James every chance he could. Watching their urgency and professionalism convinced me that we made the right decision to stay in rescue mode, even though we were not successful. Lesson 2: Stay in rescue mode. This seems obvious, but in practice I found it hard to not get discouraged. A friend of mine pointed out that even though we weren't able to save James, perhaps he will be a viable organ donor because of our continued CPR - we may have saved someone else or even several others. Thirty minutes of CPR is not a fun job when it's so clear he won't survive, but it's the right thing to do. Keep up the morale!

The mysterious 18 minute timeframe came from me and another in our party. The paramedic asked us how long he was underwater. We said we didn't know but he wanted us to guess so we pulled the "18 minutes" out of the air. The press didn't make up the number, we did. Of course, none of us knew for sure. When we first arrived on the scene a member of James' party said he had been under for 10 minutes. He had already recognized they needed help, run up to the road and found a mountain biker and then ran back to the scene and found us in that amount of time. It probably wasn't any less than 10 minutes at that time, maybe longer. We don't even know how long it took us to get him out after we arrived. My best guess is that it was another 10 or 15 minutes. I estimate that he was underwater for a total of 20-30 minutes, but time moves in a different direction when someone is dying.

It sounds like everyone did what they could to save James. My heart goes out to the family and friends, especially the three who had to watch tragedy unfold. At some point, when they are ready, I hope they will be able to contribute to the dialog for the safety of others. I have notified Charlie Walbridge from the AW Safety Committee of this thread. For more information about accidents and responses, see the American Whitewater Safety page.

Please remember the ones who care about you when you're making good judgments.


----------



## stiff (May 23, 2004)

Thanks for the posts. Very sobering. It helps us think about safety.

I hope the rescuers are doing OK. 

One thing I find a little bothersome is that you mention someone was pinned on that rock recently and had a close escape. I wonder if the word about the potential danger of that spot has gotten out before this incident? I for one boated there and didn't know about the danger. I'm scared that it could have been me in that sieve. Should we do better communicating about where danger spots are and how to recognize them? You can't always easily identify under cut rocks.


----------



## RenoRob (Jun 5, 2005)

*Sad News*

I got a call this morning from another buddy that James was killed on Thursday. Not a good way to start the day.

James was a regular kayaking buddy of mine when he lived here in Reno. We would do the regular weekend drill, meet up every Saturday and Sunday at his place, check flows, and go run something. I've seen a few posts here hinting about his skill level. All I can say is he was a solid IV boater when he lived here, and he was smart enough to walk during off days or or when things were above his level.

I'm not sure what the paddling community is like up on Colorado, and if it was close enough for most of you to have met him. James was a amazingly generous guy. We used to boat with two typically poor college students. When winter started to roll around, he bought each of them brand new drytops so they could boat the winter safely and comfortably.

I'd like to thank his boating group and the folks who came to his aid. From what I read, it sounds like you did all you could. It also sounds like he had a good boating crew the past few years, and some buddies to share good times with.

James is leaving behind an incredible wife, Kris. Please give her condolences if you see her, and boat safely.


----------



## rasdoggy (Jan 31, 2005)

A reply to Stiff's ?.
I know we don't want signs everywhere in the backcountry but...
Like at the ski resorts would it be a bad thing if there were markers to identify spots that were known to be dangerous ie; undercuts ,bad holes, etc... maybe at the put in river map boards like on the Ark. ???

I don't know but in ocean sailing there are channel markers and bouy's to warn you of shallow reefs...

I don't know if markers would have been any help in these incidents luck and timing being what they are but any knowlage is good.

I was never lucky enough to meet James but I would have liked to.
Maybe I'll get to on the Big River.


----------



## Schizzle (Mar 26, 2004)

I've added a comment to the LSB reach description on the AW site. That site is really helpful for the pics and run descriptions. I know two people who are streamkeepers and they take their job seriously.

Just in case there are some new folks to kayaking reading this, AW is American Whitewater, and they're an organization that supports whitewater enthusiasts. Their site has a link called "River Tools" and it offers run descriptions, flow information, etc. Like anything, the comments in there are just peoples' opinions (and you know what they say about opinions), but it's another source of info outside what you find in CRC2.

URL:

www.americanwhitewater.org


----------



## mrgoodddave (Jun 5, 2005)

*air tube*

I have been there when my friend was pinned and drowned and we were helpless- it is the worst thing anyone can face- my deepests regrets to you involved.

Last week on Fish Creek with Pagel he had a breathing tube. This is a great idea! A 3 foot tube to put down to your buddy or to grab for your own use if you are trapped under the water. I am getting one today. This could buy time and really help a rescue situation. It is always different and always complex but you cannot be too prepared.


----------



## panicman000 (Jun 3, 2005)

rapid air peeps makes a breathing tube that sounds pretty solid and economical. Has some sort of 2 way mouth piece so you breath fresh air and not your expended air that can be bad for you.


----------



## WWSledger (Jun 6, 2005)

*Services for Jim*

Does anyone have any information on James' funeral services?


----------



## Tim Kelley (Nov 20, 2003)

I'm trying to gather all the facts on this accident for AW and pass on to Charlie. I've run LSB several times and am pretty familiar with it.

I ask any eyewitnesses in James' group or those who helped in the recovery to please send me your email address ([email protected]) and phone number(s), so I can flowup with a few questions.

SCHIZZLE, thank you for posting the warning on LSB river page comments. AW is working to make such warnings more visible on the river page. I lost a personal friend last year on a NY river to a sieve that was actually posted to a river page prior to the accident...she had missed her intended line also.

Someone on this thread mentioned why not put a sign up for such hazards. In short, that is what the river pages attempt to provide. But that is like feeding people fish instead of teaching them to fish. Hidden hazards are all over, especially on creeks, and the river is always changing...this one has just in the last couple of years.

James death is sad...nothing will fill his void, but the tragedy is when we don't really use the lessons from his death. If you were a witness or have something of value you would care to share please email me so we can share it with paddlers at large.
Tim Kelley AW Safety Chair


----------



## sda (Jun 6, 2005)

*Any info on family of Jim?*

hey all, i used to be lifting buddies with jim in our freshman year in college at CSU (fort collins). we were tight. needless to say, I am deeply sadened by this loss. jim lived life on his own terms, and I always respected him for that. 

at any rate, does anyone have an info on him -- his family, so I can contact them? I know his parents lived in Elko, NV, but I can't seem locate anyone to contact. 

any help would be appreciated.


----------



## Bender (Jun 7, 2005)

*Re: Sad News*



RenoRob said:


> I'm not sure what the paddling community is like up on Colorado, and if it was close enough for most of you to have met him. James was a amazingly generous guy. We used to boat with two typically poor college students. When winter started to roll around, he bought each of them brand new drytops so they could boat the winter safely and comfortably.


As one of the "poor college students" I can say that James generosity and good nature kept me warm on more than one trip and I appreciate it to this day. He was ready to boat at the drop of a hat and would always meet you with a grin on his face and a paddle in his hand. His loss is a tragedy and my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. 

Please pass along my condolences to Kris.

-Keane


----------



## medman (Mar 10, 2004)

As I was driving home tonight after being on call I was thinking about this accident and a conversation that was had at the hospital and felt I should post something. It was mentioned before to STAY IN RESCUE MODE. This is excellent advice and if you're up for a physiology lesson (shortened)here's why.
In heart surgery, a patient is put on a bypass machine and the heart is stopped; and in the case of bypass surgery (as Pres Clinton underwent) blood flow to the heart is temporarily shut off. To do this you cool the heart to about 13 C and then put lines through the veins that drain the heart and every 20 minutes minimum you run cold oxygenated blood backwards through the heart in between sewing bypasses. So what does this have to do with boating and rescue. The fact is your limbs can last hours without O2 and come out just fine; kidneys about 45 minutes; the heart---about 20 minutes without any longstanding damage. Now I know you're all saying it's the brain you have to worry about--right, 5-8 minutes, but thank to the brain freeze we all get when we roll that time can be extended. I just wanted to reiterate what was said earlier--STAY IN RESCUE MODE. The conversation we had today that reminded me of this was a 70 minute code in which the patient was revived. If you can get the person out and start CPR--perfuse the brain and wait for the paddles as the heart may still have some electrical activity, but not always. I know I wasn't there and it is easy to say from my comfortable chair in front of my computer and I know that all that could have been done was done. I just hope others can learn from these types of threads.
I apologize for cluttering this thread if some feel it's off topic and my heart goes out to all who knew James. Be safe and learn rescue and CPR.


----------



## Kris M (Oct 22, 2003)

Sorry for the late info on this. The family was too efficient and held the memorial service yesterday down in Canon City. Any condolences can be sent to:

Jim and Kathy McFarland
2917 Sierra Ct
Canon City, CO 81212


----------



## Bogey (Jun 7, 2005)

*Condolences*

I hope that Kris recieves this message either personally or one of you who knows her pass it on graciously. 

My deepest sympathy goes to you and your families through this tragic time. The Reno community is in shock over this news. James was always pleasant to be around as can be attested by those who knew him. Special memories of sitting around a fire on boat trips will always remain with me. Thanks to both of you for those memories. Kris, know that you are always welcome here in Reno.

To the rescue team: Thank you for doing all you did. I know James always surrounded himself with good people. My thoughts are with you as well. 

James, I know that you are smiling on your friends as you always have.

Joe Tarantino


----------



## jenp (Jun 8, 2005)

*James's family*

I saw James's family today when they were packing up his apartment. I told them about mountainbuzz and that someone had written a great "thank you" letter to James that they might want to read. They asked me if I knew any more people that they should contact about his death. I didn't, but suggested they post something on the site, which I believe they are going to do. keep any eye out for it because they said that they want to send something to the addresses of people who were close to him. 

I didn't know James for more that 6 months. We dated shortly, but became close quickly. I am so sad and in such dis-belief, I can't imagine how any of you who have known James for a long time are feeling. My thoughts go out to all of you-his friends, and thanks to you who were involved with trying to rescue him.

Jen


----------



## heliodorus04 (May 31, 2005)

First, my condolences go out to his wife, his family, and his friends. I am so very, very sorry.

I wanted to ask a question about the river this accident took place on.
I'm a new boater, with 5 days in a boat, and hearing this story makes me apprehensive about my choice of hobby. It sounds like the paddlers were all VERY experienced. What class of river or obstacle was this classified as?


----------



## Caspian (Oct 14, 2003)

The creek is mostly class IV, but this was a class V drop. By every indication, the group was being safe and paddling within its limits, but that is the nature of class V - sometimes you can do it by the book, but bad things can still happen. To a lesser degree, this is also true of easier water.

I would not let this dissuade you from boating, but let it remind you of the nature of certain rapids and rivers. From what I've seen in the AW journal, you can usually split WW deaths into two categories, experts running class V, and morons in over their heads (K-Mart raft at flood stage). There is usually a death in the class III-IV range every year, but that is the smallest category it seems. If you begin and continue boating wisely, you will lower your chances greatly, particularly if you don't run class V creeks - because, as happened here, even when you make every attempt to do the right thing, sometimes very bad things can still happen on class V.

My condolences to James' family and friends.


----------



## Kris M (Oct 22, 2003)

Thanks for all the kind thoughts and words from the Reno folks and others. I knew the guys out there and they were great to paddle and have as friends. RenoRob helped me learn to roll and took us on our first trip down the Truckee. He was the guy that was always eager to take the newbies on their first trip down the Truckee. 

Even though James and I were not able to see things the same way, his passing has not been easy. As his ex-wife, I just want to say a public thanks to the guys he was with and the group that showed at the services. It meant a lot to the family. 

Kris


----------



## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

Family and friends of James,
Yesterday I found a paddle on lower south boulder creek below where James passed. I'm not sure that it's his, but if it is I'd like to see what his family wants done with it. Feel free to call me or send me an email or PM.
Joe
(303) 594-9733
JCKeck1(at)aol.com


----------



## NYdan (May 18, 2004)

If you found an AT2 with a blue repair job on one of the blades then it is his. If so can you get a hold of me. I will let his parents know. Thanks.

Dan 
[email protected]


----------



## korg (Jun 9, 2005)

*James....*

News like this.......... My heart goes out to everyone whose lives James has touched over the last 34 years.

I had the great pleasure of boating with James many times during his time here in Reno... Most of us here in the Reno paddle community can recall numerous memories on the Americans and Yubas with James. 

The three words that come to mind when I think of James are "generous, kind and passionate". I say "generous" for the many stories that are and will be posted here on Boof and Mountainbuzz, I say "kind" for the guy I knew off the water, and I say "passionate" for the unrelenting focus that James gave everyday to his will to be on the water. 

Before James left Reno he shared with me a dream that he had to open a kayak shop in Colorado. Now, I never caught wind of that dream ever coming to fruition, but whether it did or did not happen - I know James was always in the height of his happiness when life had anything to do with kayaking......

My deepest regards to Kris and his family. James was loved by many, and will be missed by all.

Grant Korgan
Reno, NV

If Ceremony info exists - please call me (775) 560 8880


----------



## e_rubs (Jun 13, 2005)

*Gernerous indeed*

I am the other "poor college kid" that was mentioned in renorob's post. I have many fond memories of James including He and Kris putting myself and my wife up for a night on our cross country drive to move east. It was simply in his nature to do whatever he could for people. Though I had lost touch with him over the last couple years I feel the loss greatly.

To all his family and friends I offer my condolences.

It is good to see all the Reno posts here can easily be seen James had a special ability to touch people. He will be missed.

Eric-


----------



## goatlady (Jun 23, 2005)

*Just heard about James Death*

I was so shocked when I read in the Chaffee County times this week about James. My brother and him were best friends and they were roommates at UNLV in Vegas. I wanted to give his family our heartfelt condolences. Shannon if you are reading this please email Lennie Hall at [email protected] or [email protected]. Was James married? please let me know. Thank you Linda


----------



## goatlady (Jun 23, 2005)

*Just heard about James Death*

I was so shocked when I read in the Chaffee County times this week about James. My brother and him were best friends and they were roommates at UNLV in Vegas. I wanted to give his family our heartfelt condolences. Shannon if you are reading this please email Lennie Hall at [email protected] or [email protected]. Was James married? please let me know. Thank you Linda


----------

