An OKCC member drowned a few years later on a non-club trip with one other kayaker on the Sandy River. Sadly, Bob Porter, who explored many of the best whitewater runs in Oregon, drowned on the upper King's River in California. Bob was a highly skilled boater and very safety conscious, but made a mistake on a very difficult rapid. A number of us have had some close calls. The river doesn't care whether we are on it or not, it flows and has no feelings.
Close calls result from our own errors in judgement, acts of carelessness, or over-confidence.
So, let's all boat with care and try to keep up the good safety record. Today, whitewater kayaking has the same elements of fun and excitement as 20 years ago, but equipment, techniques, and the abilities of boaters are vastly improved. Rivers considered too dangerous to attempt 20 years ago are now run regularly. Holes that were totally avoided 20 years ago are now played in gleefully. The rivers are the same and the psychology of boating is the same.