On Tuesday May 2, 2023 at 1512 hours, a water rescue call was dispatched for an overturned raft in the James River. RPD (Richmond Police Dept.) and RFD (Richmond Fire Dept.) Water Rescue units responded to the rapids in the James River between Hollywood Cemetery and Belle Isle (Hollywood Rapids). One of a group of 4 rafters was caught in debris. Subject1 was extracted and taken to VCU Medical Center where she was pronounced deceased at 1618 hours by Dr..

The raft got off line, too far to the right, as they navigated through the rapids. The raft overturned when it hit a log throwing two people from the raft. Subject2 flowed downriver to the right while Subject1 went to the left. The group lost sight of Subject1 and subject called 911. They said that River Rescue responded quickly. Subject1 was located stuck in logs/debris and extracted. They estimated that Subject1 was under for more than 30 minutes. They stated that everyone in the group was wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs) and helmets. RFD confirmed that Subject1 had on a PFD. RFD personnel advised that the James River was at 9 ½ feet at the time of the incident.

James River
Richmond City                 