Coroner names woman who died in Ohiopyle rafting accident
A 50-year-old Ohio woman died Saturday in a rafting accident at the Dimple Rock rapids on the Lower Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County.
Julie Moore was taking part in a trip down the river when a raft she was riding in with her two daughters and a friend overturned, spilling the occupants into the water at Dimple Rock, according to preliminary information gathered by Fayette County Coroner Dr. Phillip E. Reilly.
The accident happened just before 3:30 p.m.
According to Reilly, Moore was retrieved from under the water after she was found to be missing during a head count of participants conducted by rafting guides.
Park Operations Manager Ken Bisbee said efforts to resuscitate the woman, who was a resident of Columbus, began immediately. He said river guides from several outfitters, state park rangers and responders from Ohiopyle/Stewart Volunteer Fire Department’s water rescue team assisted in the effort before she was taken by medics to Uniontown Hospital.
She was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. Saturday, Reilly said.
Reilly said the death appears to be an accidental drowning, but he said an investigation to reconstruct the incident is not complete.
There were 71 people in 17 rafts taking part in the river excursion organized by licensed outfitter Whitewater Adventurers, according to Bisbee. He said the raft occupied by the woman and her companions was the only one that flipped in the rapid.
“The incident is under review, but all of Ohiopyle’s outfitters closely follow specific guidelines for safety,” Bisbee said. “All participants are issued appropriate safety gear, undergo a safety briefing, participate in a practice session in a calm pool near the launch before heading down the river and are given instruction while on the river by the attending guides.”
Dimple Rock is notorious for its danger. The massive rock is known to have a divot, or a vacuum, that can trap people who are thrown into the water.
In the past four decades, there have been more than 23 deaths on the river, and about half occurred near the Dimple Rock rapid.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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