SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — A Lane County sheriff’s spokeswoman says a 66-year-old Eugene man has died after a paddle-boarding accident in the Willamette River near Springfield, Oregon.
Sgt. Carrie Carver says the investigation so far indicates Larry Aten’s paddle board hit a large root ball in the river on Friday and he went into the water. He was underwater for several minutes before a friend pulled him out and began CPR.
Carver said the swift water, the root ball and the leash that attached the paddle board to Aten may all have made it difficult for him to resurface. He was wearing a life jacket. Carver said the same partially submerged root ball caused a pontoon boat to capsize last weekend, drowning a boater.
