Woman dies after getting pinned in White Salmon River on July 15
By Justin Brimer
BZ Corners, Wash., July 18, 2023 - A fun day on the White Salmon River turned tragic last weekend.
A 58-year-old woman died during a commercial raft trip, guided by Wet Planet employees.
On Saturday, July 15, the rafting company was floating the upper section of the White Salmon when a boat flipped upside down while traversing the Triple Drop rapid.
Editor’s Note: Owners of Wet Planet Jaco Klinkenberg and Todd Collins state “The trip in question was our 51st trip of the season on that section .”
The 58-year old woman died above this section of the White Salmon River in a rapid called Triple Drop.
The woman, who was not identified by authorities or Wet Planet co-owner Jacomijn Klickenberg, fell out of the boat and was pinned under water for several minutes before guides pulled her out, according to Klickenberg.
Klickenberg stated that once pulled from the cold water, “lifesaving efforts were undertaken”.
She stated that the woman was then transported via EMS “to a nearby hospital,” where she died of her injuries.
“Everyone at Wet Planet is devastated by what occurred. Our focus is on the family and the guides as we work through this tragic event,” she said.
Wet Planet used a private launch site for this particular trip, accessing a part of the river that they have not yet run on commercial trips this year.
According to American Whitewater, an advocacy and conservation group that provides boaters with information about rivers and rapids, Triple Drop is Class IV or Class V depending on the water level. Rapids are rated from Class I-V, with V being the most dangerous.
Editor’s Note: Klickenberg and Collins disagree with the description of this rapid as a Class V, stating “American Whitewater does not name this specific rapid but does note that the stretch of rapids in this section are Class IV.”
Our reporter relied on the following guides to make the class designation on the rapid before reporting on it. https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/2269/main and White Salmon River (The Farmlands) Rafting & Kayaking | Whitewater Guidebook
Klickenberg stated that she and co-owner Collins will be “reviewing the incident and communicating with the family, as well as appropriate authorities.”
This is the second whitewater-related death in Klickitat County this summer.
In June, Sandy Sridhar, went missing in the Klickitat River after the two-person inflatable kayak that she was sharing with their husband got entangled on a low head dam near the Fish Hatchery. Authorities still have not located Sridhar’s body, according to search and rescue officials.
Neither Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office, Fire nor EMS officials responded to requests for information about the most recent incident.
