Man’s family finds him face down in water after his tube flips in rapids, WA cops say
A 60-year-old man drowned in a Washington river after his tube flipped in the rapids, authorities said.
The man from Walla Walla was floating the Wenatchee River near Dryden on July 30 with some friends and family members, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
When the group hit rapids, the man’s tube flipped over, and he struggled to swim to the shoreline, deputies said.
Then the group was separated after hitting another set of rapids, deputies said.
A family member found the man face down in the water and helped him out of the river, the sheriff’s office said.
Then the man was placed on a commercial raft, and he was taken to medical responders on the other side of the river, deputies said.
First responders performed CPR on the man for one hour before he was pronounced dead.
No one in the group was wearing life jackets or was familiar with the river, deputies said.
“Recreationalists should be aware that the waters are colder and more swift than usual. Please remember to wear a life jacket, scout the entire section of the river you plan to float for hazards, and know where to take out,” the sheriff’s office said in the release.
Dryden is about 125 miles east of Seattle.
This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Man’s family finds him face down in water after his tube flips in rapids, WA cops say."
