On 8/3/13, at approximately 1600 hrs, operator was operating vessel 1 on old town otter kayak traveling downstream.  He was on the catawba river just above morganton at the city of morganton water intake low head dam.  Operator was accompanied by 4 other people in two other canoes.  The operator and passengers of the canoes took out to portage around the dam. Operator attempted to cross the low head dam in his kayak.  The witnesses on the banks with the canoes said that it appeared that he was trying to slow down just before going over as if he had changed his mind at the last second.  Operator was thrown from the kayak as he went over the dam and he was trapped in the recirculating current below the dam.  The four people with operator attempted to link arms together and reach to operator for approximately three minutes.  As they attempted to rescue him they said he went under one last time for approximately 5 minutes before he reappeared approximately 25 yards down stream.  Two of the people on the bank swam to operator and pulled him to the shore and began cpr.  They performed cpr for approximately 5 mins until the rescue squad arrived and took over.  Operator was wearing his pfd when he fell out of the vessel but sometime during the rescue, the pfd came off of his body.  Witnesses were sure he had the pfd on, but were unsure if he had it properly attached and unsure exactly when it came off of him.  The kayak operator was operating had not been located.  The water was very high and rough at the time of the incident.  Operator was taken to grace hospital and then airlifted to cmc in charlotte where he is still in icu in critical condition.
MORGANTON