Understanding River Risks: Insights from 20-Year Whitewater Accident Data

Recently, I have been perusing the American Whitewater Accident Database, which includes data on whitewater river accidents in the US and Canada. I have been thinking about river-related risks for my personal trips (mostly Class III) and for trips where I may lead other adults and youth (Class II). The data are interesting and not necessarily intuitive. Below are some observations of the data from the 20 years from 2000 to 2020.

A quarter of all fatalities are clearly avoidable: Not wearing a PFD (15%) and getting caught in low-head dam hydraulics (10%) cause a quarter of all fatalities. All of these deaths could have been avoided by using basic common sense and situational awareness.

Flush drowning is the largest single cause of fatalities (19%). Flush drowning occurs when a person aspirates water, typically after swimming through rapids. A paper looking at AWA data on flush drowning concluded that flush drowning is slightly less common on Class I-II rivers, but is by far the leading cause of death on Class III-V rivers – which itself is not surprising given the potential for repeated dunkings and long swims on bigger rapids. The paper describes several contributing factors, including having an inadequate float plan, cold water, and lack of fitness. Another factor is having the proper gear, including a PFD with adequate floatation for the conditions, which might be more than 16 lbs standard in many PFDs.

Getting pinned in a boat against something (strainers are 12% and rocks are 4%) is a significant cause of fatalities. Getting pinned is not just inconvenient; it’s dangerous. Pins can happen quickly, even on Class II rivers.

Swimming into something (strainers are 9% and sieves are 5%) is another major cause of fatalities. The ability to self-rescue by swimming aggressively away from danger is important.

Foot entrapment (2%) and equipment entrapment (3%) are less common than I thought. Entrapment is talked about quite a bit in every boating class I have taken. But statistically, it is more rare than many other causes.

Possible conclusions to draw from these data:

Swimming ability and fitness are essential for boating safety. A strong swimmer has a better chance of avoiding flush drowning, strainers, and sieves than a weak swimmer. Someone who is not a good swimmer or is uncomfortable in the water is less likely to take aggressive action to self-rescue. Someone who is out of shape may tire quickly before they reach safety. Cold water shock, which can lead to flush drowning, is exacerbated by poor fitness.

We should emphasize aggressive self-rescue over foot entrapment avoidance. I have seen this teaching scouts: when they go for a swim in a river, they are generally quick to put their feet up (as they have been taught), but they don’t always swim to safety without being prompted. We have over-emphasized foot entrapment in training and failed to prioritize self-rescue. We also spend lots of time practicing throw ropes – which is admittedly fun – but it is a skill unlikely to be used in many on-river scenarios. For example, when canoeing with scouts on Class II rivers, we rarely set safety with throw ropes. Instead, boats flip in rapids or get swept toward strainers and sweepers where no safety is set. In those situations, aggressive self-rescue is more valuable than a throw rope.

Be extra careful around cold water. The flush drowning reports on the AWA database typically involve someone falling out of a boat and by the time they are recovered, they are dead. Reading the accident reports, it is evident that this often happens in cold water. We need to think about water temperature when planning our trips. A flipped canoe in 48-degree water is a lot more dangerous than a canoe flippped in 78-degree water.

PFDs need to fit and have adequate floatation. With drowning as the number one cause of death on rivers, having a PFD that will float a person high is important. We have all seen situations where someone shows up with an ill-fitting PFD, or where people (often adults) refuse to wear PFDs. We have also seen very large people wearing standard PFDs with insufficient floatation.

In sum, there are no shocks in the AWA data, but they make me think about prioritizing my thoughts of risk. Fitness, self-rescue, good PFDs, and awareness of cold need to be top of mind on the river.