RedactedNarrative: I, indiana conservation officer, while on routine boat patrol at geist reservoir on sunday july 9, 2017 in marion county, was notified by marion county emergency communications  (meca) that there was a boat accident on white river at 7300 n. Westfield blvd in indianapolis.  Two adult male kayakers went over the low head dam upstream of the confluence of white river and williams creek.  
  
  After being notified, i took the geist patrol boat back to the dock headed to the accident scene.  I notified ico dispatch of the situation and advised that indianapolis fire department fast water rescue personnel were already on scene.  I disregarded agency resources due to the fact that there were already numerous rescue personnel on scene.  As i arrived on scene approximately twenty minutes later at the westfield blvd bridge just downstream of the accident, rescue personnel had rescued both men from the low head dam area after they had been discharged from the boil below the dam by large debris which broke the hydraulic effect temporarily at the base of the dam.  
  
  Victim one, identified later at methodist hospital, was discharged from the hydraulic first and was conscious after being washed downstream to a strainer and grabbing on to a throw bag rope.  Victim1 was subsequently picked up by ifd zodiac rescue boat.  Victim two, later identified by victim one at the hospital \, was also released from the hydraulic about ten minutes later after victim one but was unconscious.  Both men were recovered from the river by ifd zodiac rescue boat.  Both were transported to methodist hospital in indianapolis.  Victim1 was admitted in critical condition but awake and breathing on his own,  victim2 was in much more dire shape.  He was in cardiac arrest when pulled from the water.  Although rescuers were able to get his heart beating again, he was on a ventilator and was non- responsive to stimuli when i arrived at methodist hospital.  
  
  	i was able to talk to victim1 after i arrived at the hospital.  Prior to my arrival, methodist hospital er victim assistance and chaplain personnel had contacted victim1's wife who was on her way to the hospital.  I asked victim1 how many kayakers were in his party.  He confirmed that only he and victim2 were together and that there was no one else involved.  Victim1 advised that they had met at his home and that victim1's wife had dropped them off at the 116th st white river bridge public access site to launch their kayaks.  
  
  The plan was to kayak to rocky ripple and victim1's wife would pick them up.  Victim1 had specifically decided to not go farther downstream to the larger broad ripple dam because he feared portaging may not be safe due to the high water.  Rather, he had decided to do the portage at the bypass above williams creek thinking it was the safest alternative.  However, victim1 advised when he entered the channel for the bypass area he became confused because the water level was so high he didn't see the portage area which was underwater.  In fact, the water was so high, he thought the dam was farther downstream because there was no longer a significant drop off.  The water below the low head dam had risen to be almost level with the water pouring over the dam.  Victim1 and victim2 were literally going over the dam before they realized that they had reached it.
  
  	the hospital staff advised me that they were not able to positively identify the other victim who unconscious.  A hospital worker was finally able to pull up some information which led to the correct spelling of victim2's name on an obscure social media site.  Upon their respective arrivals, i met both families in the emergency rooms waiting area..  I took victim1’s wife back to the er treatment area to meet with victim1. Later in the afternoon, when victim2’s wife arrived, i met victim2’s wife and her children.  A private waiting area was secured for the family and i accompanied victim2’s wife during her consultation with the er trauma chief doctor as well as the hospital chaplain and victim assistance coordinator.  After being briefed on her husband's condition, victim2’s wife was escorted to the 4th floor icu to spend time with her husband.  Victim2 passed away later that evening. 
  
  	i met up with ico about 5:30 pm to assess the situation of the kayaks which were still in the water.  One victim1's red kayak was in an eddy downstream of the dam area in a log jam under the westfield blvd bridge.  Ico and i recovered the kayak by hand from shore.  Most of victim1's possessions in the kayak were recovered, but a dry box container which was ripped off a connection cord in the accident was missing with victim1's wallet and a ruger lc9s mm handgun.  Victim2's kayak was last seen on a log jam but washed free downstream prior to my return to the accident scene.
  
  	victim1 was kept for several days in two separate hospitals for kidney treatment, which is common in water based trauma accidents.  He was released on friday july 14, 2017.  
  
  	i returned victim1's kayak to him at his home residence on sunday july 16, 2017.  I also furnished an indiana operator's report for a boat accident in an electronic version for him to complete via email.
  
  	i received an electronic copy of victim2's preliminary findings from the autopsy preformed on monday july 10, 2017 and have included it, as well as the ifd run report on personnel and apparatus present at the rescue scene from july 9, 2017.   Victim2's death has been ruled "complications from drowning" pending final toxicology results.
  