Abstract
Introduction
The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) is one of the most popular Colorado locations for whitewater rafting. Any fatalities that occur during commercial rafting trips in this area are reported to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife service. Whitewater rafting is an activity with inherent risks associated, but certain factors may increase these risks.
Objective
The goal of this study was to examine factors that may correlate with increased risk of whitewater fatalities.
Methods
This is a retrospective case series of data from the AHRA regarding details of all commercial whitewater fatalities between the years 1991 and 2011. Descriptive statistics are reported for factors such as weather conditions, river conditions, guide experience, location of boat, safety equipment, and participant characteristics.
Results
Over 17 years, there were 37 deaths among 4,489,235 commercial boating participants in the AHRA, or approximately 1 death for every 121,000 visitors. The majority of victims were male (73%), the median age of victims was 48 years (range 36–52 years), and the median victim body mass index was 31 kg/m2 (range 25–34 kg/m2). In all, 78% of these trips did not have a safety kayaker with them, and 37% of the fatalities were participants located in the first boat. The majority of guides (70%) had more than 1500 miles of experience, and nearly all fatalities (97%) were participants wearing type V portable flotation devices.
Conclusions
Whitewater rafting fatalities on the Colorado portion of the Arkansas River are uncommon. Factors such as guide experience and participant safety equipment did not significantly influence these fatalities. Victims tended to have a higher body mass index, which may be a marker of a lower baseline fitness level or a propensity toward underlying cardiovascular disease. Further research is needed to determine whether there are any medical risk factors that would make a person unsafe to participate in whitewater rafting.