Heroic rescue efforts from fellow open boaters saw 65-year-old Dr. Steve Senior pulled from The Sinks section of the Lower Little River in Tennessee on Monday afternoon, according to local news services. The group was a part of Ain’t Louie Fest, the annual flocking of open boaters to rivers around Lenoir, Tennessee.
The Bridgenorth, Ontario, native apparently came out of his boat after going over a ledge and failed to resurface when rescuers sprung into action. Senior was allegedly underwater for approximately 30 minutes when paddlers plucked him from the water and commenced CPR. They were able to restore a spontaneous heartbeat, however Senior died Monday night in hospital.
Park Rangers, local sheriffs, paramedics and fire and rescue personnel also responded, arriving after the rescue efforts were already underway.
Local authorities applauded the paddlers’ rescue efforts.
“It was a large group of whitewater canoeists,” said Townsend fire chief Don Stallions, according to Blunt County’s Daily Times. “They have a strong skill set. They were in the middle of rescuing him when we got there. Not five minutes later, they got him freed and up out of the water.”
Unofficial reports suggest water levels were high due to runoff, but that the boaters were paddling within their ability levels. Details of the tragedy continue to emerge.
The following is a news report from Knoxville NBC news affiliate, WBIR.
Ain’t Louie Fest will continue through March 17th as planned.
For local news reports, read the Daily Times and WBIR news releases.
